The Real Gray Area Is Between Our Ears
by Sultan Peppershaker
Summary: A celebratory trip abroad.
1. To Youth

"I'm gonna be alright, Mom!" Tia protested as her mother locked her in a back-breaking hug. "It's not even gonna be a month!"

Owen grinned and shook his dad's hand as the father congratulated him on what a man he had become in the past years.

Via was talking to her father on the phone, smiling tearfully. "I know, I know, but I'll be back when you're on leave, so we'll see each other then... Mmhmm, I'll still have a month before I leave for university..."

Seth grimaced as his mother locked him in a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"Kind of weird, isn't it?" Keely asked Phil as she shifted her backpack on her shoulder.

"Knowing that in like, two months we're going to be off to college?" Phil asked, glancing over at the tall blonde.

"No, seeing Seth's parents. I mean, I knew they obviously ex_is_ted, but... I just didn't know what to expect, I guess."

Phil looked over at Keely questioningly. "Right. Uh oh, looks like our parents are done talking..."

"Come on, after this, we won't even see them for weeks; just grin and bear it."

Phil smiled as his mother half-ran towards him and gave him a hug. He narrowed his eyes at Pim, who had her arms folded over her chest and a smirk planted on her face.

"Why so happy?" he asked as his mother let go of him.

"Why do you think?" Pim retorted. "I'll be glad to get rid of you and Little Miss Airhead over there. And it's for a whole month, Phil! Feel free to make this an early birthday present. It's more than I could've asked for."

"You realize of course that you're going to get all of Mom and Dad's attention now, right?"

Pim's smug expression fell off her face. She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, then walked away just as Lloyd walked up to see his son off.

"Just remember, Phil," he said, holding up one finger, "don't—"

"Dad, we've been here for four years. I think I know how to keep our secret under wraps."

"Oh. Well, with that in mind... just stay safe, okay?"

"Dad—"

"I know, I know. I never thought this day would come, if we're being honest."

"The day when I took a trip abroad after graduating from a school over 100 years in the past?"

"Well, there is that... Guess you've just grown up before our eyes, you know?"

"Dad, you're, uh..."

"Right," Lloyd said, wrapping up his goodbye before he got any more emotional. "Well, have a safe flight, son."

"Thanks, Dad," Phil said, nodding his head. The two men shook hands, and Lloyd clapped his son on the shoulder. Phil smiled and then turned and walked over to Owen, who was waving goodbye to his parents. He glanced over and saw Keely in the middle of a tearful goodbye her with her younger sister.

"Mmmm..." Owen voiced his approval as he saw the sisters hug. Phil slowly looked over at him, then sighed and shook his head.

"Wow, Owen. Wow."

"So wait, her _old_er sister's adopted, right? Because—"

"You know what, I'm just gonna stop you there, cause what_ev_er you're thinking right now, it's just not going to happen."

Owen laughed. "I'm shocked that you would jump to that conclusion."

"Um, can you blame me?"

"Believe it or not, I care about more than—" Via loudly cleared her throat from behind the two boys. Owen glanced over his shoulder and trailed off. Via rolled her eyes.

"Hey, guys!" Tia said, having finally pried herself away from her mother. "We ready to go?"

"You know it, babe," Owen answered, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm ready," Seth announced, walking up to the group and slapping his boarding pass against his hand.

"Tick tock, Keely!" Tia shouted with a laugh. Keely said one last goodbye to her family before going over to join the group.

"Okay, okay, jeez, I'm here," she said, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go, okay?"

"Gladly," Tia obliged as she smiled and waved to her family. She let out a contented sigh as their families, one by one, began walking away, down the escalator, and out of sight. "Yyyyyyyyes! Ahh, my only regret is that we couldn't do this sooner..."

"Tell us how you _real_ly feel," Keely said with a smirk. Phil reached down and grabbed her hand. Keely glanced down at their interlocked fingers before leaning over and giving Phil a kiss on the cheek.

"Get ready for a lot of that," Via said to Seth in an undertone. He looked over at her and smirked. His expression then faltered as he looked over her shoulder.

"And... that," he said. Via glanced over her shoulder and saw Owen and Tia locked in a kiss.

"Oh, bollocks," she said, rolling her eyes. Seth laughed. "Would you two knock it off?" The two pulled away. Owen smirked; Tia blushed. "Can _not _believe I have to sit next to these two for six hours."

"I'm sorry," Seth said with a smirk as Phil was waved through the security checkpoint.

"Tell me again _why_ we agreed to come on this trip?"

"I think we agreed to it be_fore_ they got together." He tilted his head towards Owen and Tia.

She glanced over her shoulder at them. He was tickling her sides; she was squealing and trying to fight off his hands. She pressed her lips together and waited to get called through the checkpoint. "It's going to be a long holiday." Seth nodded in agreement.


	2. More Than a Feeling

**I reached an impasse in the story earlier. I reckon since it is now four in the morning I should have been in bed long ago but I felt like too much of a catastrophic failure to let another day pass without an update. So here you have it. I can't imagine this is doing my sleeping habits any good, but really, I sort of doubt I would've been asleep anyway.**

* * *

Keely tossed her suitcase on the foot of the bed and let out a satisfied sigh as she sat down on a chair beside an oak table. An open pamphlet sat on the table, welcoming her to the hotel.

"Mmm, Phil, isn't this just amazing?" she asked, throwing open the window. Cars rolled along the street below their window. The setting sun cast long shadows down the avenue. She leaned close to the glass and watched the pedestrians bustling down the sidewalk. She delighted at how much slower the pace seemed to her everyday life back in Pickford. Even if it wasn't actually any slower down on the streets, it looked slower to her from their room, and that was all she cared about at the moment.

"Keel, these are going to be the most amazing days of our lives," he said, walking up beside her and putting his arm around her shoulders.

"So far, I hope!" she added.

"Of course," Phil said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "This is only the start!"

She turned back to him and threw her arms around him. "This was such a lovely idea..."

"I wish I could live every day like this..."

She slowly raised an eyebrow. "What, so you're gonna buy a house in Dublin?"

Phil laughed. "No, not that... well, maybe. Someday. I don't know, I'm still tired from the flight," he said, dismissing the thought with a shake of his head.

"Ha... okay, Phil..."

"I'm starved," he said, putting a hand to his stomach. "What do you say we go downstairs and wait for the others to show up?"

"Sounds great. But please, don't get the haggis."

"Uh, Keel, that's Scottish."

"Oh. Right!" She nodded and followed him out the door.

- - -

Tia set her suitcase down by the door and groaned. "My back is still stiff from the flight..."

"Want a little help with that?" Owen asked, a playful smile spreading over his face as he tossed his bags aside.

"Ohh-wiiin!" Tia crowed as he put his hands on her shoulders. "We have to meet them downstairs for dinner in twenty minutes!"

"We can make it quick," he laughed.

"_Ow_en!" Tia protested, turning around and trying to suppress a smile. "_Ser_iously."

He straightened up and sighed. "Alright, alright."

"Not a bad view," she said, leaning forward and placing her hands on the windowsill.

"Not at all," Owen muttered, watching her. She turned her head slightly and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then shook her head and rolled her eyes. He smiled and walked over next to her, and glanced out the window. "Hmm... it really is nice..."

"Mmhmm..."

The setting sun was still well visible over the buildings across the street. Their room, near the corner of the building, offered a view down York Street of St. Vincent's Green. She sighed and hugged him. He gently placed an arm around her and smiled.

"I should unpack my stuff," she said, after a silent minute of observation. "Then we can go downstairs and meet up with them..."

"Yeah," Owen said. "Yeah, I should do the same." The two of them tore their eyes from the busy street and began to unpack.

- - -

It was only 11:30 in the evening by the time Seth and Via returned from dinner, but they were both exhausted from the flight, and decided to just go to bed in hopes of getting an early start the next day.

The two of them, much like they had when they first walked into the room, stood at the foot of the lone bed, looking at it in awkward silence. They glanced at each other at the same time, then back down at the bed.

"I could—" they both started at the same time, then fell silent.

"I could take the seat or something, if this is awkward for you," Seth offered, glancing over at the small sofa (or was it a larger-than-average seat?) by the wall.

"Oh, I wouldn't ask you to do that," Via said. "We're two young, responsible adults. There's no reason for this to be awkward." She almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself rather than him.

He nodded in agreement and walked to the left side of the bed, checking the alarm clock on the nightstand. "What time do you want to get up?" he asked loudly as she went into the bathroom.

"Oh, I don't know... 8:30?" she replied, then turned on the shower faucet.

He glanced up at her as she gathered a few bottles from her suitcase. "You take showers at night?"

She nodded. "I can't _stand_ the feeling of going to bed without. Just so... grimy and... disgusting."

"Right..." He scratched the back of his head as she returned to the bathroom and shut the door. He flipped on the TV, which was on a news network. He watched it uninterestedly, half-paying attention to the news anchor, and halfway to Via singing "More Than a Feeling" in the shower. There was a brief pause where she stopped singing. He muted the TV and glanced down, listening intently.

"..._when I am tired, and thinking cold... I hide in my music, forget the day... and dream of a girl I used to know... I closed my eyes and she slipped awayyy-ayyyy.._"

"She is never gonna hit this note," he muttered to himself.

"..._She slipped awaayyyyy–hayy–ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy**-**__AYYYYYYY!_"

He widened his eyes in surprise as she hit the high G, then continued on to the last chorus, bringing the song home.

Minutes later, but not many, she exited the shower, dressed in pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt, and paused upon seeing Seth looking over at her in amazement.

"That was... some note you hit there," he said with a small laugh. "Really: amazing!"

Via flushed a shade of deep red. "You- you heard that?"

He nodded sheepishly. "I never knew you could sing like that, Via... that was really ... wow!" he gushed, at a loss for words.

She hid her face as she leaned forward and dried her hair vigorously with her towel. "I can't believe you heard that. I can't believe I _did_ that."

"You shouldn't be so shy about that... you have an incredible voice..."

"Mmm... well, thank you."

Via shut off the lights and climbed into bed. The two rested on their backs, staring up at the ceiling in darkness. Neither of them went to sleep right away.

"Why do you reckon they chose three rooms? I thought it was going to be the girls in one room and the blokes in the other."

"You're asking me why I think those four wanted rooms to themselves?"

Via reflected on what she had just said. "Right. Daft question, sorry."

Seth chuckled softly.

She let out a flustered sigh. "This is rather--"

"Uncomfortable?"

"Hmm? No, that's not... is this uncomfortable for you?"

"What? Oh, no. Not a chance."

"Right."

"Not to say that it's totally comfortable!" he covered awkwardly.

"Naturally."

"I mean it's not like... yeah. I could still sleep on that—"

"Oh, that's not necessary. I mean, it's not like I don't trust you, of course."

"Right..."

She cleared her throat softly and stared ahead. He glanced over at the clock. 12:07.

"What I was going to say," she said, after a brief silence, "was 'uncomfortable'. I mean, physically. I usually only wear pants and a t-shirt to bed, so it's a bit warm."

He silently wondered how that was different from what she was wearing at the moment.

"Again, not that I don't trust you or anything, I just- I thought it might get a mite awkward. I don't really know how much I roll over in my sleep or anything, you know. Or you, for that matter."

"No, right, I understand."

"Sorry, I'm rambling..."

"Oh, it's alright." He laughed softly. "I don't mind."

A silence fell over the two again. Via slowly rolled onto her right side, facing away from him.

"Reckon we should try and sleep, then..." she muttered.

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"Well. Goodnight, then..."

"Yeah... yeah, goodnight..."

He looked over at the back of her head and sighed softly, then shifted so he was on his left side. He shut his eyes, thinking back to her singing, and slowly fell asleep.


	3. Untogether

**Hadn't at all planned on (and probably shouldn't be) updating tonight, but argh, sleep, she escapes me. Originally this was supposed to be two separate chapters, but that seemed a little too drawn out.  
**

* * *

"Ooooh," Keely said, peering in a shop window for the seventh time of the evening. "I want that!"

Via scratched the back of her head. "If you bought all the things you've said you wanted today, you'd be well broke by now."

Keely rolled her eyes. "Well, jeez Louise, listen to you. So cynical."

Via laughed. "I'm just saying, do try and exercise some self-control."

As she wasn't fond of the direction the conversation was headed, Tia quickly intercepted it and took it in a different direction: "So how was your first night here, Kee-leeey?"

Keely giggled. "Phil is _such_ a teddybear..." Via stifled laughter as Keely gushed on. "We just... well. We actually fell asleep in each other's arms. Really quiet night, you know? Probably still tired from the flight..."

Via smirked to herself as she rolled her eyes. In front of her, Keely and Tia walked side-by-side, engrossed in their conversation. She tried to focus on the faces of the buildings, the illuminated signs standing out against the dim evening sky, the faces of passersby as they inevitably gave the two chatting girls a second look.

"But what about you and Owen?"

"Owen... he can be sweet if he wants to—" Via failed to hold in her laughter this time, earning her a look from both girls.

"Sorry. Do carry on, really," she said.

"You know what, it's ... never mind," Tia said, shaking her head. "I'll tell you later," she added to Keely.

"No, Tia, I implore you," Via pressed on. "Do tell us about your dear, sweet, teddybear Owen."

"Was he..." Keely giggled. "Frisky?"

Tia rolled her eyes. "I swear, it's like you two see him as this two-dimensional hormone-crazed kid. I mean, _real_ly."

"That's... not a no," Via remarked.

"He behaved, alright?"

"I wouldn't expect anything more of him," Via said with a grin. Tia took this as a compliment.

"Anyway," Tia said, eager to deflect the attention, "how was _your_ night, Via? Interesting, I assume?" She and Keely giggled as Via gave them a reproving look.

"Uneventful, thanks."

"You mean he didn't try anything?"

"No. I know it comes as a surprise to you that there are males on this earth that can show some self-restraint, but no, he didn't try anything."

"There you go again," Tia said, "saying all that stuff about him."

"I think it's sort of a respect thing, isn't it?"

"Respect for him, or respect for me?"

Via chose to avoid the question. "Did you think it would be _fun_ny to make us room together?

"Honestly? ........ Yes."

"Of course you would. "

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tia asked, indignantly.

"What it means is that—"

Via was cut off as Keely stopped dead in her tracks and threw an arm out to stop the two of them. They both looked up at the window on the storefront to their left. A mannequin dressed in a long, slim maroon dress adorned the platform.

"Love. That." Keely said.

"I have to go in," Tia said softly. She slowly headed to the door and pulled it open, with Keely dragging Via behind her.

Via rubbed her forehead. "Why didn't I go to the pub with the blokes...?"

- - -

Owen hit the counter of the bar lightly with his open palm as he swallowed his fourth shot of the evening. "Ahahhhhghhh... There we go."

"Doin' good there, Owen?" Phil asked.

"Doin' great, Philibuster." Owen said as he leaned forward. "Doin' fantastic."

A tall, muscular man in his early twenties sat down beside Phil and ordered a pint. He glanced over at Owen, who was sucking his breath in through his teeth. "Your friend doin' alright there?" he asked.

Phil looked over at the young man's brown hair, which was gelled in a faux hawk, then down at the tattoo covering the man's forearm. "Yeah, he's good to go. Isn't that right, Owen?" he asked, clapping Owen on the shoulder. Owen sat back up.

"We're good to go. I'm just gettin' started."

"Ricky," the young man said, introducing himself, then taking a drink.

"I'm Phil. This here's Owen, and on his other side is Seth."

"I take it you're not from around here," he said with a chuckle.

Phil shook his head and took a drink, then sighed as he set down his glass. "Mm, nope. California."

"Jaysus, that's far off."

"Yeah. Yeah it is..."

Ricky took another drink. "Well, Phil, I say it looks like your friend might be biting off a bit more than he can chew."

"Ha, yeah, that's Owen for you."

A brief silence followed until the Irishman broke it again. "So what brings you three out to Dublin?"

"Well," Phil started, running his fingers along the side of his cold glass, "it's kind of a long story..."

Meanwhile, Seth rolled his head back and sighed, then took another drink.

"What's a fella like you doin' with such a long face?" a gentle, moderately high-pitched voice asked from over his left shoulder. He turned over to look at the source.

Her blonde curtained hair ran down past her shoulders, slightly obscuring her face. Her wide, deep blue eyes gazed curiously at him. His eyes tracked down from her face down to her denim jacket layered over a black tank, then down to her deep blue jeans and black boots.

"I'm sorry, what'd you say?" he asked, turning his focus back up.

"Ya looked a tad bothered, is all."

He slowly shook his head. "Nah. Not really. Just thinking, but, not a big deal."

"Right... I'm Caitlin. Ricky there's my brother," she said, pointing at Ricky, who was still talking with Phil.

He nodded. "I'm Seth."

"Tell me, Seth... what brings a group o' Yanks like you out here?"

"GRAD-uation," Owen loudly chimed in, leaning forward on the bar and setting down another shot glass.

Caitlin laughed. "I didn't mean to Ireland. I meant to a little pub like this."

Owen raised his empty shot glass. Seth shrugged. "Pretty much that, I guess," Seth offered

"Right, then.... So how long are you three fellers in town?"

"I-- well, it's not really just the three of us..."

"Oh no?"

"No, there's, ah, well, there's three girls with us too."

"Ahh, I see. Got yourself a girlfriend, do ya?" She grinned and leaned against the bar, resting her chin in her hand.

He smirked. "Oh, no, not me. Those two brought their girlfriends, but ah, I don't... I don't have one."

"Then who's the other little lady you brought along?"

"Ah, she's just a friend," he explained with a wave of his hand.

"Mmm... I see..." A smile slowly played its way across her lips.

"But anyway." He took a drink and let out a short breath. "To answer your question, we fly out on the nineteenth. So a little less than a month."

"Right. So I guess I might be seein' ya here again, then?"

He shrugged. "Sure could."

"Ay. Well, you go an' keep an eye on your friend there, then. Pleasure meetin' ya, Seth."

"You too," he said, smiling and nodding. She looked over at Ricky and tilted her head towards the door. He nodded.

"Right then, Phil," he said, standing up and slapping down a small assortment of Euros on the bar. "Pleasure to be makin' your acquaintance, but I best be off."

"Oh, right. Nice to meet you too," he said, just before Ricky left. He sighed and checked his phone.

"D'you get a message?" Owen asked, turning to look at Phil. rubbing at his eyes with his fingers.

"Yeah, Keely said they were going to be back in about twenty minutes...."

"Excellent," Owen said, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. Phil nodded and glanced over his shoulder.

"I, uh, think you got someone's attention," he said, upon seeing a brunette across the room eyeing Owen.

He slowly turned around and looked around the room, subtly glancing at the girl who was watching him. "They just can't keep their hands off this," Owen said with a laugh.

"You're not seriously thinking of... well you don't seriously think of _any_thing," Phil said, shaking his head.

Owen shook his head. "Nah, bro. Should probably go back with you. Don't want to get chewed out by Tia, ya know?"

"Wow, Owen," Phil said. "That's actually really--... well, no, that's exactly as responsible as you should be. What's up with that?"

"You under-... you misjudge me, Phil."

Phil shrugged and finished his drink. "Maybe I do. Then again, I'm still.... _rel_atively sober. Tia's really got you, doesn't she?"

Owen gave Phil an incredulous look. "Psssssshhhhhhhhhh. Not a chance. Definitely not as bad as you and Keely. That's for sure."

Phil laughed. "Well, we're definitely different from you two, anyway. I'll give you that."

"Right, right." Owen spun around on the barstool and slowly got down. "Alright. Stay cool. Maintain."

"Ready to go, Seth?" Phil asked, putting some money on the bar to pay for the three of them.

"Yeah," Seth said, springing to his feet.

The brunette girl gave Owen a friendly wave as he walked out, and he grinned back broadly. She laughed softly and watched him leave before focusing back on the conversation with her friends.

- - -

"You smell of Guinness," Via noted after Seth greeted her, entering their room. She was sitting at the desk in the corner of the room, checking her email. Unable to think of anything to say to this, he nodded. "How was it? Owen didn't get out of control, did he?"

"Owen? Well... no, not really. He kept it in check pretty well. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know how he can get."

"No, I mean... why do you ask about him, specifically?"

Via looked up from her computer. "What on Earth do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, I just... I don't know. Wondering why you asked about him first, I guess."

"Who would you rather me ask about?"

He paused. "It's not _that_, I just... do you like him?"

"Him? As in, do I _fan_cy him? Not a chance!"

"Oh. ...right."

"I think the Guinness is getting to you. Perhaps you ought to have a lie down."

He nodded. "Maybe I should," he muttered, and went to brush his teeth.

- - -

"There," Phil said, emerging from the bathroom. "Brushed up, _and_ mouthwash."

Keely grinned. "Good! Much better," she said as she stretched out on the bed."

"So how was your evening?" Phil asked. "You didn't blow a fortune on clothes, did you? I mean, I figured Via would be able to handle you, but I'm not sure if she stood a chance with you _and_ Tia."

She laughed softly. "Relax, Phil, I'm not broke. In fact, I hardly spent anything."

Phil looked at her with a small grin, slightly impressed. "Not bad. What did you get?"

Keely just grinned and shook her head.

"Come on, what did you get?"

"It's a surprise, Meester," she replied.

"Even just a hint?"

"No! Not a word. Just wait. Okay? You'll find out soon enough."

He looked down at her and slowly smirked.

"Phil? What are you doing?"

"I think I know a way to get you to tell me..."

Keely, suddenly very serious, bolted upright. "You tickle me Phil Diffy and you will regret it until the end of days."

He approached the bed, smirking mischievously. Keely squealed and retreated under the blankets.

- - -

"You know, Owen, wasn't the whole point of this trip to... you know, spend time together?"

Owen slowly rolled onto his side to look at Tia's face in the darkness. He squinted slightly. "Hmm?"

"Like, you know. We came here together. I mean with them, obviously, but together. But we haven't really gotten any time alone, you know?"

"We're alone now," he observed after a beat.

"Well, first off, you're pretty drunk, so that doesn't count. Second, I mean out_side_ of the room. You know?"

"....oh."

"But yeah, I mean, it's nice that I spent time with the girls today, but... I just think we should spend tomorrow together! Without all of them. You think so?"

He closed his eyes and considered her idea. "That actually sounds like a nice idea," he mumbled with a smile.

Tia let out a short squeal and kissed Owen on the cheek. "And to think that the girls think you're shallow!"

He laughed. "Wait, what? Who said that?"

"Mmm, don't worry about it. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day."

"Right...... right....." Tia barely had time to get comfortable before Owen crashed for the night.


	4. Whatever People Say I Am…

Ch. 4: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

* * *

Via sat across from Seth at a small table in a local deli. She had her elbow planted on the table, and was resting her cheek on her open hand, staring ahead uninterestedly. He slowly glanced up and then back down at the table.

"You gonna, uh..." He slowly trailed off as he glanced up at her seemingly intent stare. She raised her eyebrows. He slowly reached for his sandwich.

"You again?" a voice asked. He glanced over and saw a familiar blonde girl approaching him. Via looked up at her, then sighed and looked the other way.

"Oh, hey," he said, a small smile spreading over his face.

"This the girl you were talkin' about?" she asked in an undertone. Via raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the two of them out of the corner of her eye.

"It's not what you think," he said, in an effort to reassure her.

"Oh, I feel _much_ better now," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I'm Caitlin," the blonde said, introducing herself.

"Olivia." She smiled politely and nodded slightly.

"Nice to meet ye, Olivia."

"Delighted." She tapped her index finger against her cheek.

"Mind if I join ya?" the blonde asked Seth.

"Sure, why not? Oh-- unless you mind," he said, turning to Via.

"How flattering to be such an afterthought," she murmured quickly. Raising her voice, she added, "Oh, go ahead – Caitlin, is it?"

"Aye," she said, nodding. "Thanks."

Via smiled politely before leaning back and glancing around the room. Seth and Caitlin were already engrossed in a conversation.

"I am going to kill them for making me spend the day with him," she reassured herself. As the two across the table from her started chatting, she looked around the deli, desperately hoping for a distraction.

- - -

Owen and Tia sat on a bench in St. Stephen's Green, his arm resting on the back of the bench, around her shoulders. She watched a young couple, only a few years older than she and Owen, ambling slowly down the path, hand-in-hand. He was looking up, thinking back to the previous night.

"So what did you all talk about last night?" he asked, breaking their silence. "I mean, I remember you mentioning you were talking about me or something..."

"Oh, that." She bit her lip and, with a slight toss of her head, flicked her hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, it's just... the two of them said that you tend to be... a bit shallow. And I said that there's more to you than meets the eye. That's all."

"...both of them said that?"

"Yeah. I mean honestly, I don't see why that surprises you..."

He laughed. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

She looked over at him critically. "You know what it means. You can be a little... well, you're a bit of..." She sighed, trying to think of a more polite way to finish her sentence.

"So you agree with them."

"Not totally. Sure, you have your faults, but doesn't everyone?"

"But you still agree with them. To a degree."

Tia shrugged and folded her arms. He raised his eyebrows.

"What's wrong?"

"Mmh. Nothing."

"That definitely doesn't mean nothing."

She cocked her head slightly to the side in agreement. "I mean, look at us."

"What about us?"

"We're on a _park bench_, Owen. In _Ire_land. Like, seriously?"

"Well where do you want to go?"

"That's the thing, it shouldn't be all about _me_, it should be about _us_. Where do _we_ want to go?"

He nodded in agreement. "Well. Let's find something. To_geth_er." He stood up and looked down at her, offering his hand.

She turned her eyes up to look at him. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. Let's prove them wrong."

She leaned her head back and sighed. He dropped his hand awkwardly. "It's not a_bout_ them, Owen... you know _that_, right?"

"Well-- right," he said. "Of course."

"Never mind. Forget I even brought up what they said. Let's just try and... appreciate what's here and now. Live in the moment."

"Sounds good to me."

She hesitated, bit her lip, and slowly stood up; the two slowly walked down the path, throwing the occasional coy glance at one another. She smiled to herself, then shoved him towards a tree, then bolted down the path. He stuck his hands out to steady himself, then smirked, shook his head, and chased after the giggling brunette.

- - -

"Dublin Castle," Phil said, looking up at the sole surviving stone tower from the old castle. Keely looked up in awe at the tower, then around at the more modern architecture surrounding it. "It looks a lot different without the walls and the rest of the towers..."

"How did you..." Keely looked over at him, then remembered just who she was talking to, and trailed off. "You cheated."

"How did I cheat?" he asked, a curious smile on his face.

"You've seen this before," she said, looking up at the windows on the tower.

"Sure, but that's different. Now, I'm here with you. _That's_ what really matters."

"Oh really."

"Really! Trust me, Keel. You made eco_nom_ics class interesting."

She laughed and kicked at the ground. "You're too much, Phil."

"Oh, am I?"

She smiled and casually slid her hands into her pockets. "Actually, no... I like it like this."

"Like what?"

"Like... normal. No future stuff, you know? I like that we don't need the SkyAk or those stupid goggles to have a good time."

He laughed. "Of course we don't. We're here, together. The rest is just... it doesn't matter."

"I guess so." She grinned and took a step closer. "But I still think all that future stuff is super cool."

"Don't worry; I know."

"So, tell me," she pressed on, putting an arm around him. "What did this place look like back in its heyday?"

"Ah, I wish you could've seen it... it was incredible..."

He slinked his arm around her waist and vividly regaled her about his family's brief visit to Dublin Castle, hundreds of years in the past.

Owen stood behind Tia, his arms wrapped around her. She held lazily onto his hands as the two gazed silently at the towers of water shooting into the air, in the fountain at the center of St. Stephen's Green.

Seth watched Caitlin with rapt attention as she told a story from her childhood about herself and her cousin at the Dublin Zoo.

Via introduced herself to a young man with horn-rimmed glasses in order to relieve herself of boredom.

Tourists and Dubliners alike took a moment to pause and glance at Owen and Tia, the two of them still watching the light of the midday sun bend and refract through the skyward-headed water, standing next to each other in a sort of blissful silence.


	5. Of Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, & Love

"Come on, my mom wants me to call," Phil said, upon seeing a phone booth on a street corner. He opened it, and he and Keely walked in. He looked curiously at the phone. Keely tried to stifle her laughter.

"Need some help there, little buddy?" she asked, a smirk playing across her face.

"Don't patronize me. I'll figure this out." He picked up the receiver and put his index finger into the coin return slot, then listened for a tone. Keely put a hand to her mouth to hide the huge grin spreading across her face. "Not. A word."

"I didn't say anything!" Keely protested. She bit her lip, then took a breath and sighed softly. "Go ahead."

He ran a hand through his hair and investigated the phone more closely. "Oh, it needs money!" He searched his pockets for some coins.

"There ya go, Champ!" Keely said, patting his head. "It's okay! Not everyone gets it on their first try!"

"You really don't need to be like this," he said as he put some money in the slot.

"Aww, come on now. If you're nice, maybe I'll buy you some Lego when we get home! And if you try _real_ hard, you can make some of them stick together!" She covered her face and laughed as he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, how do I get this to call them, anyway?"

She took a deep sigh before straightening up and looking at him. "Hit zero-zero-one, then the area code and number."

The two waited as the call went through. "What time is it over there, anyway?" Phil asked.

"Oh, um... About noon?" she reasoned, looking at her cell phone.

Phil nodded as the other line rang. "So do you--"

"SON!" Lloyd's voice rang out in Phil's ear. He pulled the receiver away from his ear and looked at over at Keely wide-eyed. "CAN YOU HEAR ME, PHIL?"

Keely reached over for the phone and spoke into it, holding the earpiece between herself and Phil. "Mr. Diffy, we can hear you fine. You don't need to shout!"

"Oh, really?" Lloyd's voice became temporarily more distant. "Hey, Honey! These phones are pretty powerful! They can hear us fine all the way on the other side of the world!"

Keely laughed and rolled her eyes, then mouthed, "Wooow..." to Phil. He smirked.

A clicking sound was followed by Barbara's voice after she picked up the other phone. "Hey, Phil. How are you doing over there?"

"I'm fine. How about you guys? Have you sold Pim to the circus yet?"

"You should be nicer to your sister," Keely quietly suggested to Phil. He raised his eyebrows at her.

Phil's mother let out a laugh. "No, she's doing... well, she seems to be doing alright. Maybe a little _too_ alright. Your father had a small situation with Curtis at work the other day..."

"It was just a small fire at work," Lloyd quickly covered. "Just an electrical thing. Your mother is blowing this way out of proportion."

"_An_yway," Phil interrupted, "other than that, everything's going good?"

"Oh, everything's fine here," his mother replied. "You staying safe? Eating well?"

Phil cringed at the sudden onslaught of Mom Questions. "Yep. It's, uh, it's great here, really. Never been better."

Keely offered Phil a small smile, and he gave her a big grin in return.

"Glad to hear it!"

"Mmhmm. Yeah, I don't think there's much time left on this thing, so I guess I'll let you guys go for now..."

"Alright, Son," Lloyd said. "Stay safe. Keep in touch."

"We miss you!" Barbara added.

Phil chuckled. "Miss you guys too. Alright... okay..." Keely smirked as Phil nodded, waiting for a window to hang up. "Okay, talk to you later. Bye."

"Guess we'd better meet up with the others, then, huh?" she asked as she opened the door.

"May as well," he said, and left the booth with her.

- - -

"Oh, wow," Owen spluttered as he set down his glass. Via let out a snort of laughter.

"Bloody Yank," she muttered to no one in particular.

"What's that?" The young brown-haired man on her other side glanced over at her curiously. She looked over and shook her head.

"Oh, nothing. Just my friend here. Too used to the water they've got over in the States."

He laughed as he threw Owen a glance. "Ah, bloomin' Yanks," he said, with a shake of his head. Via narrowed her eyes slightly as she investigated him more closely. His British accent in particular stood out, as she was used to hearing Irish accents in the past several days. "Something wrong?" he asked, after noticing her focused attention.

"No, nothing. I just... feel like I know you from somewhere. I don't know. Might be the drinks, I suppose." She put a hand on her glass, then looked back at his light brown eyes and short, scruffy beard.

"Right," he said, nodding. "Well, I'm Liam, if that rings any bells."

"Liam..." she repeated, searching her memory. "Mm. Don't think so. I knew a Liam back in year nine, but I don't think you're him. I'm Olivia. Well. I prefer Via, actually."

"Well, I think I'd remember you if I ever knew you," he said. She looked ahead as one corner of her mouth curled into a smirk. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught an unfamiliar brunette sitting on Owen's other side.

"What a slimy tart," she said, shaking her head.

"Who's she?"

"No idea. I don't suppose he knows either. But that's Owen for you."

"Always looking for totty, eh?"

"I'm just hoping his _girlfriend_ shows up soon," Via confessed. She glanced over at Owen again, to see if he took notice, but he hadn't.

"That's terrible," Liam said with a laugh as he took a drink.

"Yeah, well... he's terrible." She shook her head and chuckled softly. Liam laughed harder, making her glance over at him and start laughing with him. The noise eventually caught Owen's attention.

"What's so funny?" he asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it," Via said, covering her mouth with her left hand. "What happened to Tia?"

"She said she'll be here in a few minutes," Owen replied, checking his watch.

"And that girl next to you is......?"

He shrugged. "Just some girl. I— Wait, you don't think—"

"Oh, Owen, when have you ever given me cause to think you would do something like that?"

"Well thanks," he said, not catching the sarcasm. "I don't know why you assume I'm always up to something when I meet a girl."

Via looked over at Liam and raised her eyebrows. "I can't imagine," she replied. Liam chuckled.

"And who is _that_?" Owen asked in an undertone. Via slowly turned around to respond.

"I hardly see how that concerns you, especially given that I'm not the one in a relationship. And I certainly hope Tia isn't the jealous type, as she's right at the door talking to Keely and Phil."

The girl on Owen's other side didn't seem too pleased in overhearing this, as she announced indignantly "You didn't tell me you have a girlfriend!" before storming off. Owen, meanwhile, glanced over at the door and saw Tia glancing in his direction uncertainly.

"This ought to be good," Via said in an undertone to Liam, as Tia walked over, leaving Keely in the middle of their conversation. Keely was saying something to Tia as she left, but Via couldn't hear it over the rest of the noise in the building.

"Owen, can I talk with you?" Tia asked, seemingly pleasant.

Via smiled and rested her chin on her hand, looking over at the two of them expectantly.

"Privately?" Tia added, looking rather put off by Via's presentation. Owen nodded, and the two headed outside.

"Bugger," Via muttered, once they were out of sight. "Really wanted to see her go at it. Oh well." She smiled and turned back to face Liam, who was watching her amusedly.

"How does a girl like you get stuck with a couple of Yanks like them?" he asked, with a smile on his face.

"There's actually two - well, three more, really. Those two over there," she said, pointing to Keely and Phil, who were at a table for two on the other side of the room, "and... well, the other was with that girl and her friends, there," she added, pointing to a table with two older teenage girls, a man of about nineteen, and an empty seat. "It's a bit of a long story how they roped me into this trip, though," she finished, with a slight shake of her head.

"I've got time," Liam said with a shrug.

Via let out a small laugh before looking down with a grin. "Well, alright then," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you really want to know..."

* * *

**Well hell, I can't tell if this even qualifies as a chapter or if it's just a collection of sentences and paragraphs poorly presented as fiction. ****Apologies for the length between updates. I decided to change the order of things here. Also as I'm currently working on a few different projects among other stuff I've got going on in this madness they call the Real World, this one is a bit of a bodge. ****I'll try and do better the next time.**


	6. Not in So Many Words

**Thanksgiving, Thanksgetting. Not sure I'll really ever understand this holiday.**

* * *

Tia had dragged Owen out of the bar to have a word with him in the side alley. "Who was that?"

"What? She's nobody," Owen said. "Just some girl I was talking to."

Tia pursed her lips. "She looked like she was being pretty friendly with you..."

"It's nothing."

"It obviously wasn't _noth_ing..."

"And just how do you figure that? We were _just talking_."

Tia sighed and shook her head.

"Don't you trust me?"

She looked up into his eyes and tried to block Via's voice from ringing out in her head. "Of... Owen... I..."

"Unbelievable." He looked away and rolled his eyes. "It was those two, wasn't it?" he asked, tilting his head towards the bar.

"No, Owen, it's not _that—_"

"Spare me. Tia, why do you _list_en to them? They don't know what I'm like!"

"Sometimes I wonder," she muttered.

He let out a short laugh. "Fine. Talk to me when you're willing to form your _own _opinion of me. You know, your _boy_friend." He turned on his heel and headed back to the bar.

"YOU'RE SO IMMATURE!" she shouted after him, causing a few passersby to give the two of them a curious look. She shook her head and ran back to the hotel.

- - -

At two in the morning, Keely and Phil were fast asleep in their room. Elsewhere, Via and Seth's room was completely empty. Meanwhile, Tia sat at the foot of the bed, waiting impatiently for Owen to come back. She heard a key scraping at the lock, then stood up and stormed over to the door and flung it open.

"Get in here," she said through clenched teeth. He slowly walked past her, blinking slowly. He flinched as she slammed the door and spun around wildly to face him. "_Where_ have you been?"

"...Out?" he answered as he sat on the bed. She sighed and slapped him on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You were sup_posed_ to come back with me!"

"You didn't want to talk to me!"

"Don't you know _any_thing about girls?" He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "Don't answer that. Just... where were you."

"At the pub," he groggily answered.

"Phil and Keely were back an hour and a half ago."

"Phil and Keely, Phil and Keely. Why don't you just _marry_ Phil and Keely?"

"That's not what this is about and you know it."

"You're right. This is about you getting mad at whatever I do."

"This is about you investing nothing in this relationship."

"Are you _kidd_ing me? Listen to yourself right now! You're getting jealous over _noth_ing!"

"Ugh... I'm done with this. Just go to sleep, okay?"

Owen gladly obliged.

Just as Owen was falling asleep, Seth was quietly unlocking the door to his room, mindful to try not to wake anyone up.

"Where in the hell have you been?" Via asked from behind him, causing him to jump and gasp.

"I should ask you the same question," he said, opening the door and letting her and himself in.

"Point taken. Let us never speak of it again."

"I– ...okay..."

Via nodded and went to take a shower, despite the late hour. He was fast asleep by the time she got out.

- - -

The next day, around noon, Phil and Keely were having an uninteresting conversation in the lobby. Via was resting in a chair beside them, and Seth was sitting in a chair across from Via's, not looking particularly engaged. Keely checked her watch, then glanced around the room. "Where _are_ they, anyway?"

As if in response to her question, Tia walked into the room, alone. "Uh... where's Owen?" Phil asked.

"_He's _coming down on his _own_."

"Wow, Tia. Wow."

"What happened?" Via asked.

"That _boy_ is just being immature. As usual."

"Well I say it's about bloody time you opened your eyes to the situation."

Tia gave Via an incensed look, but Keely stood up and put a hand around her before she did anything. "Look, Tia," she said, "Via's... kind of got a point."

Tia rolled her eyes. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"He's... always been a little immature?"

"I'd just like to know what he did to get this reaction from you," Via said, crossing her right leg over her left and leaning back into her chair.

"That's not important."

"I beg to differ."

"It's _your_ fault in the first place!" Tia said, pointing at Via.

She looked up at Tia curiously. "And just how do you figure _that_?"

"It was your stupid comments about him the other day! I told him about it and he got all insecure and then he started getting all..." Tia stammered furiously as she searched for the right word.

"So isn't it your fault for telling him?"

"The hell it is! Why should I keep that from him?"

"It's not your job to tell him everything. He _cer_tainly doesn't tell you everything."

"WHAT is _that _supposed to mean?!" Tia took a threatening step towards Via, but Keely held her back. Numerous people in the lobby had taken a notice of the scene.

"Tia," Keely pleaded in an undertone, "could you please calm down?"

Tia shut her eyes and sighed. "Whatever."

"What happened between you two, anyway? Like, seriously."

"Oh please, you don't want to know."

"Sure I do, Tia! Come on, please?"

"It's _your_ fault, too."

"_My _fault?!" Keely asked, quickly becoming defensive. "How do you figure that?!"

"Cause you and Phil are so perfect together. Jeez, you're perfect for each _oth_er, too! And you two just have to rub it in _ev_eryone's faces about how well off you are. What planet is he from, anyway?"

"Uh, Tia," Phil said, raising his hand to wave at her. "Kinda standing right here."

Tia went on, ignoring him. "I swear, you two are so ... it's insufferable, how well you get along. And Owen, he's just..." She trailed off, her vocabulary failing her again.

"Hormonal?" Seth piped up.

"Pushy?" Phil filled in.

"Needy?" Keely proposed.

"A dense, smarmy git?" Via offered.

Tia shook her head, waving them all off. "He's just... he knows what he wants. And he's... yeah, he's a bit pushy," she admitted, gesturing to Phil. He shrugged and nodded.

"But no time to talk about it now," Keely said, as Owen walked into the lobby.

"Ugh. I am _not _talking to him," Tia said with a roll of her eyes.

"I am _not_ talking to her," Owen informed Phil as he walked up next to him.

"What, uh... what happened with you two, Owen?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he said, shaking his head. "Let's just get this lunch thing over with."

"That bad, huh?"

"Wha- ...yeah, basically...."

"Oh, Owen... Owen, Owen, Owen. _Ow_en."

Owen looked at Phil curiously.

"Don't you see what's going on here?"

"..."

Phil rolled his eyes. "You know what, never mind. If you don't get it now, you aren't going to when I explain it to you."

"Don't sweat it, Phil," Keely advised him. "I know Tia. And she and her boyfriends tend to go through this a lot. A _lot_ a lot. This is totally normal."

"Yeah, I guess. But Owen isn't exactly normal, though."

"Can we just get this _over_ with?" Tia asked.

- - -

"Keely, could you please ask Owen to pass the biscuits?"

Keely groaned. "Owen, pass Tia the biscuits."

"Phil, tell Tia that other people might like the biscuits, and that she doesn't have to hoard them all to herself."

Phil looked over at Owen as he set down his glass of water, then turned to Tia. "Owen thinks you're too possessive of the biscuits."

"Via, tell Owen that he should offer some to me before you."

"You are _not_ pulling me into this," Via said emphatically.

Tia sighed and turned back to Keely. "Keely, tell Via that she's not helping the situation."

"Uh... you're not _not talking_ to Via..."

"Via, tell Tia that her insecurity is really unattractive and immature."

"Did you not hear what I _just_ said?" Via asked indignantly, turning to Owen.

"Via, tell Owen that you two just proved my point about him."

"Honestly? You _can_ still hear me, yes? I haven't gone completely mad, have I?"

"Here's an idea," Keely softly suggested, in an attempt to get a word in.

"What _point_?" Owen asked, addressing Tia for the first time in the day.

Via buried her face in her hands as Tia began her long-winded reply. "Somebody shoot me," she muttered, trying to avoid the attention Owen and Tia were drawing to the table.

"So, uh, I've been invited to a party three nights from now," Seth said in an undertone to Via. "It'll probably be lame, but it'll be better than putting up with this, right?"

"Oh, definitely. Would I be able to come along?"

"Oh, yeah. She said all of you could come, but I'm not so sure I'd want to bring those two."

"She?" Via asked in confusion. Not a second later, she made the connection. "Oh, that Caitlin girl. Of course." He nodded and shrugged. "Don't you think it would be entertaining to bring them along, though? It might yet push them completely over the edge."

The two of them focused their attention back to the argument on the other side of the table.

"...maybe if you'd just take a minute to stop flirting with _every_ girl you see—"

"I don't! You're just—"

"Or if you'd at least stop _ly_ing to me all the time—"

"You're so insecure! You always—"

"Come on, Keely. I need to go to the restroom."

"I-I... okay?..." Keely stuttered, looking at Phil pleadingly. He shrugged helplessly, and Tia yanked Keely by the wrist and stormed off.

"Well!" Via announced with a smile. "This has gone brilliantly, hasn't it?" Owen slowly looked over at her, then groaned and leaned his head back. "Who's for dessert?"


	7. Olivia Jade Blackburn & Double Trouble…

Murphy's Party, Part I: Olivia Jade Blackburn and Double Trouble present: Rude Mood

* * *

"So you're sure it's not a problem, all of us coming?" Keely asked.

"Not at all," Caitlin replied, with a wave of her hand. "I know the feller who's throwin' this hooley, after all!"

"And he's okay with it? I just don't want to intrude is all..."

"It's fine!"

Keely looked over at Phil and shrugged. "It'll be fun, Keel," he reassured her as the group walked up the front walk.

"I guess..."

"Keely's a Gaelic name, you know," Caitlin pointed out as she walked up the porch. "Might get the attention of some of the gents," she added with a laugh.

"Oh, see, I knew we shouldn't have gone," Keely muttered.

"It's gonna be fine. Nobody's gonna try any funny business while I'm around," Phil reassured her.

"You forget about Mr. Smooth Talker here," Tia said from the back of the group as she threw Owen a glance.

"I don't know _why_ you have to be like this!" Owen protested. "I haven't done anything!"

"See, that's the thing. You _have_ done something. You just don't want to admit it."

"Here we go again," Via murmured, largely to herself, as she rolled her eyes.

Caitlin threw a look over her shoulder at the two bickering teens. Keely and Phil looked back as well, and eventually, Tia and Owen noticed they were being watched by the whole group, and stopped.

"Well then! Let's go, ay?" Caitlin cheerily suggested. She opened the door, and the seven of them consecutively jumped back the slightest bit from the percussive wall of sound blasting from inside the house.

"Ay, Caitlin!"

A boy about Phil's age and height came hurrying up to Caitlin and gave her a hug. "Brandon! How's the craic?"

"It's great. Howya?"

"Been arright," she said with a shrug.

"These are those Americans you told me about?"

"Ah, yah," Caitlin said, and introduced all of them one by one.

"Nice to meet the lot of ya," Brandon said with a grin and a nod. An idea popped into Tia's head and she grinned broadly back at him. "Come on in."

"Thank you, Brandon," Tia piped up. He smiled back politely as Owen eyed Tia suspiciously. Keely gave Phil a concerned look, and he just shrugged in return.

- - -

"Can't believe her," Owen said.

The short auburn-haired girl standing beside him turned to look at him. "What's that?"

"Her. Unbelievable. Just flirting with him like that. All night long, too!"

She looked over at where Owen was pointing. "The one with the black hair, ya mean? Who's she?"

"Well. She's sup_posed_ to be my girlfriend. But she freaked out on me yesterday, just for talking to a girl. Just _talking_ for God's sake. She's so possessive!"

"You seem a mite bothered by 'er..."

He shook his head. "She's just all over the place. She's hot, then she's cold."

"Yes, then she's no?"

"Exactly. It's ridiculous."

"So whyya watchin' 'er?"

He raised his eyebrows.

"Unless yer still into 'er, o' course."

"No. No, I'm over it, if this is how she's gonna be about it." He shook his head, then turned to face her. "I'm Owen, by the way."

"Siobhan. Nice to meetcha, Owen."

"It's a pleasure."

- - -

"Whatcha doin' up here!" Keely asked, reaching the top of the stairs and walking up next to Via, who was leaning on the banister.

"Oh, it's quite interesting," she replied. "See Owen down there, with that young bird?"

"Uh... oh, yeah." Keely glanced down at Owen and a girl with a head of wavy, reddish-brown hair.

"See, _he's_ chatting _her _up because _Tia_ started getting friendly with that Brandon bloke. They keep throwing each other nasty looks while the other isn't looking. It's quite funny, really."

"He's an idiot," Keely muttered, shaking her head.

"That's the beauty of it. They're _both_ idiots." Via grinned broadly at Keely, who just looked at her with a deadpan look on her face. "Of course you would take Tia's side, you've known the girl for so long..."

"I guess. I mean... oh, whoa," she gasped, looking back downstairs. Via quickly switched her focus to Owen, who was locked in a kiss with Siobhan. Via grinned as Tia marched over towards him and grabbed him by the arm just as he pulled apart, and marched him outside.

"Huh," Keely finished with a shrug. "Well, I guess I should go back to Phil. See ya around!"

"Right. See you..." Via bit her lip, then rushed downstairs and out by the back door to watch the exchange between Owen and Tia.

"...can't be_lieve_ you would do something like that right in front of me! Do you even CARE about making this work? Making _us_ work?"

"Well it's pretty obvious you don't! You haven't even tried _talk_ing to me since last night!"

"Kinda hard to talk to you when you're acting like this!"

"Like what?" he shouted indignantly.

"Like... like an idiot! One minute you're swearing you were just _talking_ to that floozy in the bar and then you go ahead and kiss _her_ right in front of me?"

"Oh, sure, let's just completely ignore that you were all over that Brandon guy since we got here!"

"If it was _both_ering you, you should've _said_ something. Clearly you couldn't be bothered though, since you were all wrapped up in her!"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

"What the _hell_ were you thinking? What thought process takes place in your screwed-up head that makes you think kissing her could possibly be a good idea?!"

"Didn't seem like it would bother you since you were pretty occupied already!"

"You are such an immature idiot! A _monk_ey would be a welcome change from you! Know what? Next time your instinct tells you to do something, DON'T DO IT! And if that little voice in your head tells you not to do something? IT'S PROBABLY THE RIGHT THING TO DO!"

He slowly opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Know what? Don't bother. If you're willing to apologize, then fine. Otherwise, don't talk to me." Tia turned on her heel and stormed back into the house, pushing Via roughly aside. Owen stood on the back patio, shaking his head and looking at the ground.

"Saw that, huh?" he asked Via, as he rubbed his chin.

"It was... thoughtful of her to blow up at you outside," Via said with a smirk.

"What is her _prob_lem?"

"Her problem? Her problem is that she's unwilling to admit when she's made a mistake. She's too proud. And she's a fair bit dense."

"Exactly. _Thank _you."

"Your problem," Via went on, "is that you finally found a girl who manages to put up with your presence, and you went and drove her away."

Owen's smile faded off his face. "You could've stopped after the first part..."

"You... you don't appreciate what you have, Owen. Mind you I can't really blame you for that, as Tia's a bit of a prat, but still. She puts up with you, and that's something. And you go and snog that girl right in front of her! I don't understand you, Owen."

"...she was the one flirting with that other guy..."

Via let out a short laugh. Then another, slightly longer one. Then another, this one longer than the last. Owen started chuckling nervously with her, unsure of what they were laughing at. "You really don't get it, do you?" she asked after taking a short breath, then let out another chuckle.

"Eh heh heh... no," he answered honestly, shaking his head.

"Ah ha... it's not about her, Owen."

"Then what is it about?..."

She chuckled again. "You don't get it. You're thicker than I figured. Tia's right, you know. You don't understand women. At all."

He started to call after her as she turned around and headed quickly back inside, but she ignored him completely.

* * *

**I can honestly say I have no idea how much longer this is even going to go on. No fewer than three more chapters. Likely more than that, but I guess we'll see how much longer I can put up with this.**


	8. Uncontrollable Urge

Tia had made herself scarce by the time Owen came back into the house. Via was upstairs, perched by the banister like a hawk. Seth was talking with Caitlin near the side of the room. Phil and Keely were engaged in a lively conversation with the host.

Siobhan gave him a small wave. He slowly headed over to meet her.

"She bite yer head off out there?"

"She would've done that no matter what..."

"Gotcha. So she kicked ya to the curb, then?"

"It was bound to happen. Don't feel bad."

She shrugged and gave a small tilt of her head. "No skin off my nose. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He scratched the back of his head and glanced around the room.

"You sure about that?" she asked with a smirk.

He nodded and turned back to her. "Absolutely."

- - -

"And that is how many drinks for you tonight?"

Keely sucked in her breath through her teeth and set down her empty glass. "Don't judge me, Phil. It's a party!"

"Oh, I'm not judging," Phil said, raising his hands in defense. "I'm just sayin' is all. Might want to..."

"I'm fine, Phil. Trust me."

"Well. I've got my eye on you anyway."

Keely frowned as she saw Owen and Siobhan getting friendly with each other across the room. Phil saw her frown, then followed her eyes to where she was looking, and widened his eyes.

"Ohhh no no no no _no_ no no no _no no _no," he said, setting down his drink on a nearby table and grabbing her by the shoulders, facing her towards him. "Don't do it, Keely. Don't mess with them. You're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled with!"

"But it's _Ti_a, Phil..." Keely whined, swaying back and forth and giving him her best Bambi eyes.

"Don't do it! If they want to be together, they'll work this out, but if you try and get involved, then someone's just gonna get hurt even more, okay?"

"Are you saying you don't think I can fix things between them?"

"No!" Phil paused, rethinking the question. "Well, maybe. I mean, with those two, sure. But I'm just saying that they have to work it out for themselves. They'll do what's best for them, alright? And if that means they're done seeing each other, then that's okay, yeah?"

"I... I guess... but I mean, if I could just—"

"No ifs, no buts, no coco-nuts!"

Keely fell silent and gave Phil a strange look.

"Promise me. Promise me you won't say anything to either of them."

She threw her head back and rolled her eyes. "But _Phi_-illl..."

"Promise me!"

She groaned and drooped her head. "Fine. Fine, I promise. I won't try and get them back together. Even though Tia's my _best friend_ in the _whole world_ and I've known her since the _first grade_..."

"You're not playing the guilt card on me, Keel."

She sighed and looked back over towards Owen and Siobhan. "It's like he doesn't even _care_..."

"Remember your promise..."

"I remember... jeez Louise, I—" Keely's thoughts were cut off by a loud shouting.

- - -

"So ya havin' a good time?" Caitlin asked, as she leaned against the wall for support.

"Oh, yeah, it's great." Seth smiled briefly at her and bit his lip, somewhat nervous.

"Good t'hear. Bigger turnout than I expected..." she shouted over the music, as she glanced around the room.

He slowly nodded, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Well. I need another drink. You want me to get ya one?" she asked, gesturing to his empty bottle in his hands.

"Uh sure, thanks..." He started to hand the bottle over to her, then hesitated. "One thing before that, though..."

Before he even knew what he was doing, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She widened her eyes in surprise, but soon put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him back.

"OY!"

The loud shout startled Seth, who pulled apart from Caitlin and looked over his shoulder at the source of the noise. A fist promptly collided with his jaw, causing him to stagger back into the wall.

"WILL!" Caitlin shouted in shock.

"You gerroffa her!" the drunken Will slurred. He took a step towards Seth, who had a hand on his chin, but Caitlin stepped in between them. Seth took a few steps backward: Will was taller, bigger, and looked a few years older than him.

"I told you, it's _over_ between us!" she shouted at him, outraged.

"Who the HELL d'ya think you are, boyo?" he shouted, pointing a finger towards him, showing off the tattoo sleeve on his arm.

"_Damm_it, Will, get away!"

Will forced Caitlin out of his way and landed another punch, this time hitting Seth straight in the stomach. He doubled over, clutching at where he got hit. The room had quieted considerably, as many of the people there were now watching the action unfold.

"Stand up, ya eejit!" Will barked at Seth, who was leaning against the wall, trying to back away. He brought his right arm back, ready to hit him again.

"DAMMIT, YOU GOBSHITE!" Caitlin grabbed Will's raised arm, spun him around, and kicked him straight in the crotch. He howled in pain and collapsed to the ground. "WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKIN' AT?" she shouted at the rest of the room, who were staring in stunned silence. They immediately turned away and struck up awkward conversations with each other.

"Sorry about all that," she said in an undertone to Seth, grabbing his arm and taking a cursory look at him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, embarrassed.

"Ah, that's good at least. Sorry about 'im," she said, tilting her head towards Will, who was slowly staggering to his feet and towards the back door. "I used to see him not too long ago. He can get a bit aggro."

"You're tellin' me..." He straightened up and put a hand to his chin.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. She bit her lip and took him to the upstairs bathroom to help him out anyway.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the room, Keely was suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable. "Um, I think I'm gonna go check and see if Tia's okay..."

"Alright," Phil said, nodding slowly. Just as she headed off, he tried to call out to her, realizing this left him alone, but she disappeared behind a dancing couple. He frowned, then glanced upstairs, expecting to see Via still up by the railing. She wasn't there. He let out a small "Huh" before deciding to walk around and look for her.


	9. Seven

**Weird to think that National Tell People You're Going to Write a Novel but Hardly Get Anywhere Before Giving Up Month has ended already. Where does the time go.  
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Having scoured much of the house already, Phil headed outside, still waiting for Keely to finish talking to Tia. He saw a familiar figure sitting on the steps of the back porch.

"Uh... Via?" he asked, slowly.

Via let out a small sigh and glanced over her shoulder. "Wh-- oh. It's you." She stood up suddenly and cleared her throat before turning to face him.

"Is that... is that a problem?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, not at all," she replied airily.

"...Is everything okay?"

"Brilliant. Tickety-boo."

"Right..."

"That's not seriously all you have to say, is it?"

"Hey, I was just seeing if you were alright. You disappeared, thought I'd check up on you."

"Well, everything's fine."

"What are you doing out here anyway?"

Via took a long breath and replied in an oddly high-pitched tone: "Thought I'd get some air. Does a body good."

"And you're sure nothing's bothering you?"

"What could possibly be bothering me?" She turned to look Phil right in the eyes. He looked back into her eyes for a moment, but her accusatory stare made him too uncomfortable, forcing him to look away.

"I- I don't know. Just thought I'd check and make sure."

"Well done."

Phil sighed. "Keely's always been better at this stuff..."

"Keely's got more tact than you do, as well."

"You know you can tell me stuff, right? I mean, we're pretty good friends..."

"I know," Via said shortly.

He sighed and nodded. He still felt like something was bothering her, and he wanted to talk to her about it, but she was being characteristically recalcitrant. "Well, if you change your mind, just know... I'm here. And Keely's here, if you're more comfortable with that."

To his surprise, she laughed. "Well, Phil, at least you know enough to admit your weaknesses. There should be more blokes like you."

Phil smiled and quietly thanked her while trying to determine just how much she had to drink earlier.

"But, most of them are tossers, unfortunately. There's a few decent ones, I suppose, but..." She slowly looked over at him. "...but you're _diff_erent," she whispered, almost as if realizing it for the first time.

Phil fidgeted uncomfortably. Via laughed.

"Don't flatter yourself, Phil. Your Keely has nothing to worry about..."

"Oh... good," he breathed in relief, though now he felt slightly insulted by her.

"No, you're just... different. It's peculiar."

"Uh... well..."

" ... But no matter." She leaned against the porch railing and hummed to herself for a while, before lowering her head and looking at Phil out of the corner of her eye. "Where's Keely, anyway?"

"Oh, she's talking to Tia. Wanted to make sure she was okay after her fight with Owen."

Via opened her mouth, then thought twice about what she was about to say, and fell silent.

"What?" Phil asked nervously. "Is that bad?"

She looked up at the night sky, speckled with stars, and the moon shining full. "Isn't it funny?"

"You're deflecting."

"I'm changing the subject. It's different."

"So what's funny, then?"

"Love, I suppose."

"Oh, you don't mean like ha-ha funny."

"Not particularly, no."

"What's so funny about it?"

She let out a loud, short laugh. "Where to start... well... People tell us that love is this great, indescribable feeling you get when you meet that one right person - which personally, I don't buy into the idea that there's one perfect person out there for each of us - and that you'll just _know_ you're meant to be together... but all the compulsions we feel to that person we supposedly _love_, they're... they're really all chemical reactions. It's the same chemical process in the brain that happens with addiction. It's an evolutionary imperative, really. If we didn't feel love like we did, these chemicals telling us to stay together and have children, we would've died off long ago. Who would knowingly bring a child into a world like this without feeling a biological urge to do so?"

"So what, you don't believe in love?"

"What? No, I didn't say that. It's _love_. It's not like Santa Claus."

"Oh... so what's the issue? Romance?"

"What's love to you, Phil? Would you say you love Keely?"

"Absolutely I love her," Phil answered without hesitation.

"So what is it to you? What is it you feel with her?"

He took a moment to consider his answer. "I guess above all I'd say she makes me feel whole. I love making her happy, and that she makes me so happy. It's more like a sense of belonging, being together. There's a feeling of need there; not desperation, just... a need. I don't know how to explain it."

"Indescribable?" she asked, smirking.

"It's tough. We just seem so... in sync. Like soul mates, I guess."

"Twin flames?"

"Huh?"

"A soul mate is someone who help us grow and evolve as people. You can have more than one. Your family could be soul mates. A best friend, maybe. It's someone you're close to on a physical and emotional level, someone who understands you really well. Someone who knows you on a deeper level than most others. There's a deep love there, not necessarily romantic, but still very strong. A soul mate could be a lover, or it could just be completely platonic or familial. A twin flame, on the other hand, is much deeper. And it's always romantic love. It's essentially the other half of your soul. It's supposed to be an incredible connection, emotionally and sexually. Like you two were specifically made for each other. It's obviously much rarer, since people only have one true twin flame, and that person might not even live in the same lifetime..."

Phil nodded slowly in understanding. "Wow..." He grinned at the thought of fate landing him in the present, to be with the one woman truly made for him... but his thinking was interrupted by Via's voice.

"But that's if you believe in all that spiritual bullshit," she added, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. "Which I don't."

"So I gathered... but I guess that's a good way to describe Keely and I. Twin flames..." He turned his face skyward, reflecting on the term and how it seemed to fit more perfectly with each passing second. "Twin flames," he repeated.

She looked up at the night sky. "Romance is tricky, I reckon. I'm not sure I understand it much."

"Love is... a giving thing," Phil shrugged.

"No it's not."

"Well, I mean, not en_tire_ly..."

"There's a saying. An old one about the home. About how a house borrows the heart and soul of a fire so long as it houses it in itself..."

"Don't think I've heard that one..."

"It's not unlike the Moon and the Sun, really. 'The Moon's an arrant thief, and her pale fire she snatches from the Sun'..."

"Walt Whitman?" Phil asked.

"Not even close."

"Then who...?"

"Maybe it's because of that spirit that makes the Moon such a romantic symbol..." Via mused to herself. "But calling it a thief sort of takes away from that, doesn't it... strange."

"What are you talking about?"

"So glad I didn't talk to Owen about this. He'd be completely lost."

"Right..."

"No matter, I suppose. Don't suppose you have the time, do you?"

"It's almost midnight. Why?"

"Oh, I'm a lycanthrope and my body's about to transform into a wolf."

Phil looked uncertainly at Via. "Wait, what?"

"Is it really that hard for you Americans to pick up on sarcasm? It's like we're speaking two different languages here..."

"Guess this means we're not soul mates, then."

"Perhaps not. No matter, though. I know it's hard for you to accept, but you'll pull through. Chin up and all that."

"Right. Well, this has been a rather ...enlightening talk, Via. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I'm gonna go head back in and see if I can track down Keely. We'll see you later tonight."

"Looking forward to it."

Phil nodded and slowly turned and headed inside. Via sighed and leaned on the porch railing, then gazed up at the full moon. After a long moment of solitary silence, she broke her gaze and slowly headed back inside.


	10. The Sharpest Lives

Tia was pacing the mostly vacant room restlessly. Keely had been picking at her brain for quite a while now.

"All I'm saying is that it sounds like part of you didn't want to blow up at him like that."

"But he- seriously? Did you _see_ what he _did?_"

"Yeah," Keely sheepishly admitted, "but still!"

"Just drop it, alright? If _he_ wants to apologize and get back together, he'll do it."

Keely frowned. He wasn't going to do it: that was the problem. "You're okay with that?"

"I don't know! I mean, I'd _like_ for him to apologize, sure, but... but I know it's not gonna happen."

"Look, I'm not trying to say that Owen's not that great, but have you ever stopped to consider that he might be.... not so great?" Keely bit her lip and raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I _have_," Tia replied a little bitterly. "Why do you think I'm not getting my hopes up about him trying to get back with me?"

"So what are you gonna do?"

Tia sighed. "Guess I'm gonna go down and give him an ultimatum..."

- - -

"It's gettin' late."

"Is it?" Owen glanced up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already past one in the morning. "Oh... guess it is..."

"Not that great a party anyway, yah?" Siobhan asked.

"Had better," he replied with a shrug.

"So... d'you gotta be gettin' back to your place?"

"I..." He sighed. "I don't know if I want to go back there right now. That girl I'm staying with isn't gonna be happy with me..."

"Right... well, ya got a few choices, as I see it."

"Please."

"One. You could go ahead and go back. Face the music. It'll be better in the long run. Two, you could apologize to 'er, if you're so inclined. Or three, you could find somewhere else to stay for the night."

"Like where?"

"I dunno. My place, I guess. I don't think my roommate would mind." She offered a small smile as she ran her finger along the rim of her glass.

"Well, let's at least get outside. I can't think with all this noise in —" Owen cut himself off after hearing Tia shouting his full name over the thumping bass. The two of them paused by the front door, and he looked to the staircase and saw Keely's head coming towards him through the crowd. She was frowning. Presumably, she was being dragged by the wrist through the crowd by the much-shorter Tia.

"That her, eh?" Siobhan asked, the disdain in her voice obvious. Owen nodded.

"Nothing you'd like to say to me, huh?" Tia huffed as she finally made her way over to him.

"Um... I assumed you stormed away because you wanted time to cool down..."

"Wh- are you a complete idiot? For God's sake, Owen, you're supposed to check if I'm okay!" She stammered as she tried to find a proper insult to throw at him, but stopped when she saw the auburn-haired girl beside him looking incredibly uncomfortable. "Oh, I see what's going on here."

"Oh, no, this isn't—" Siobhan started.

"You're leaving with _her_, Owen? That's what's going on here?"

"Look, I don't get what you expect from me! One minute you're telling me not to talk to you, then you come storming down here and chew my head off!"

"Okay, uh, people are definitely looking," Keely muttered in Tia's ear. This didn't seem to bother Tia in the slightest.

"If you walk out that door with her, it's over between us for good."

"Just watch me!"

"Look," Siobhan announced, "I really didn't mean to get caught up in all this..."

"SHUT up!" Tia barked at her. Frightened, the girl recoiled slightly and grabbed her left forearm with her right hand.

"If this is how you're gonna be, I don't want any of it. Come on, Siobhan. We're _leav_ing."

"DAMMIT, DON'T YOU WALK OUT THAT DOOR, OWEN!"

He didn't even turn to shout anything back as he gripped Siobhan by the wrist and headed outside, hastily slamming the door behind them.

- - -

In a dark room upstairs, a girl with curly dark-brown hair sat up slightly at the sound of a shrill American girl shouting out someone's name in anger. "Whazzat?" she asked, looking around the room.

"Hmm?" a brown-haired teen with horn-rimmed glasses asked.

"D'you say somefin'?" she asked.

"That.... would be my friend downstairs," Via said slowly, leaning her head back and exhaling slowly, looking up at the blacklight sitting on the dresser across the room.

"My hands... can touch anything but themselves..."

"You're so far gone, Alex!" A fit of giggling followed the curly-haired girl's observation.

"...'s true!" the boy named Alex urged, as he slowly brought his hands together. ".... Oh wait...."

"Bloody hell," Via muttered with a laugh. Someone started flashing a laser pointer around the room. The light from the laser shone brightly in the smoke hanging around the room.

"They're sooooo loud," a girl named Alison muttered, as she leaned against the horn-rimmed glasses boy.

"Her boyfriend..... is a bit of a blighter," Via said softly, as the room swam before her eyes.

"My shirt itches..."

"How can your shirt itch?"

The girl complaining of the itchy shirt ignored Alex's profound question and instead just took off her shirt. Seeing her white bra glowing from the blacklights sent much of the room into a fit of giggles. "Oh, stuff it, all of you," she muttered.

The music downstairs had picked up again, making it harder for them to hear the shouting match between Owen and Tia. Via decided this was a bad thing, and slowly started to stagger to her feet. "I think... I should get downstairs and make sure... it's all right between them." She got to her feet and threw her hands out in front of her for balance. "Bugger."

"You alright?"

"I'm fine, Katie..."

"You sure?" She tried to get to her feet to help steady Via, but only ended up falling onto her back in the process. Finding this disproportionately hilarious, she burst into laughter. Via slowly started laughing as well and had to double over and put her hands on her knees to make sure she didn't fall over.

"I'll... I'll be back," Via slowly said as she walked cautiously and deliberately out the door, being sure to shut it behind her.

"Alright, Blackburn," she muttered to herself, as she leaned with her back pressed against the door. "Maintain." She took a breath and walked to the stairs, holding onto the banister as she briskly headed down step by step. She heard a door slam as she reached the ground floor, and looked up to see Tia standing staring at the door furiously, almost as if trying to rip it off its hinges using only her mind. Keely nervously stood behind her, gently putting a hand on her shoulder and saying something inaudible to her. Via made her way through the crowd to reach the two girls. "What happened?" she asked.

"Owen kind of... stormed out," Keely answered, after seeing that Tia was still staring wrathfully past the door.

"You broke up with him!" Via said, suddenly excited by the news. "You know what? Good for you, Tia. Good for you."

"_Good_ for _me?_" Tia asked, shutting her eyes, her hands still balled into fists. "_Good_ for _ME?_" she reiterated, opening her eyes and turning to face Via.

"Um... yes...?" Via shuffled back slightly, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable now that Tia had made eye contact with her.

"He STORMED OUT on me! How is that GOOD?!"

"I... I thought you broke up with him..."

"_What_ did you SAY to him?!" Tia shouted angrily.

"Wh- wh- I- I didn't say anything he couldn't have figured out for himself! Don't blame me because your relationship with him is shambles!"

"Don't blame you?! It's YOUR fault all of this happened in the first place!"

"What?!"

"You just, you don't care what happens to me, do you? You're.... you're such a...."

"Saboteur?" Keely suggested.

"Would you _please_ stay out of this?" Via asked, her voice a mixture of bitterness and pleading.

"Yes! You _sabotaged_ us! For your own amusement!"

"I most _cert_ainly did _not_. Your relationship just finally collapsed under the weight of your egos."

Tia screamed in anger and launched herself at Via, wrapping her arms around her and tackling her. Via let out a loud grunt as Tia landed on top of her and began throwing any insult she could think of at her. She quickly pushed herself up and knelt straight up, her knees astride Via's body. Via tried in vain to push Tia off of her, but given her current state, the attempts were useless. Tia grabbed onto her wrists, then forced her arms under her own knees, then started raining hits on the defenseless Brit.

"Tia! Get _off_ of her!" Keely shouted, hurrying over to them and grabbing Tia by the arm. The brunette swatted blindly over her shoulder at Keely, unwilling to be pulled off of Via. Her finger accidentally made contact with Keely's right eye, and the blonde yelped in pain and backed off. Her hand free, Tia landed a punch right on Via's jaw. The gathering crowd started cheering her on as she kept hitting and scratching Via.

Phil, Seth, and Caitlin, who had noticed the commotion, ran over and fought their way through the ring of people that had formed near the front door. Phil was the first to get through the wall, and instantly spotted Keely doubled over in pain, her hands covering her face. He hurried over and put an arm around her, asking if she was okay.

"STOPPIT!" Caitlin shouted, upon seeing Tia backhanding Via, who was completely defenseless. Seth had already headed over towards the two and grabbed onto Tia's arm.

"Tia. Stop," he said calmly. She looked over her shoulder at him and paused, then sighed and dropped her other hand, and fell back, sitting on Via's stomach. Via let out a grunt as she did so. "Come on, Tia, get up," he said, offering his other hand to her. She grabbed it and slowly stood up, shaking her head. Caitlin looked at her with an accusatory glare, but she kept her head down and dropped her hands by her sides.

"Ugh..." Via groaned as she rolled her head to the side.

"Good of ya to take action like that," Caitlin said aside to Seth as she took a step towards Via. Tia, however, quickly turned around as Caitlin spoke, and landed a hard kick just below Via's ribs, the toe of her boot slamming into her body with considerable force. Via let out a loud, prolonged groan as she rolled onto her other side.

"HEY! Knock it off, ya scrubber!" Caitlin shouted angrily, giving Tia a small but forceful push. Tia looked defiantly back at her, but Seth grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away before she did anything.

"You alright there?" Caitlin asked as she knelt down beside Via.

"I've had better days," Via groaned, still wincing from the kick Tia had thrown in.

"She coulda kicked ya right in the kidney! You sure you're okay?"

"I think so... more embarrassed than anything. I didn't even hit her back."

Caitlin laughed and helped pull Via up into a sitting position. "Got some scratches on ya..."

"Have I?" Via felt her face and neck with her fingertips, wincing slightly as she touched the red spot where one of Tia's large rings had collided with her face.

"They don't look too deep... painful though. Come on. Up you go." She stood up and grabbed Via's sides, pulling her up to her feet. Via smiled and thanked her.

Caitlin slowly became aware that some of the crowd still was watching them. "CLEAR OFF, WILLYA?"


	11. Reptilia

"Doesn't look like she scratched it..." Phil noted as he took a good look at Keely's eye.

A gray shaggy dog bounded up to Owen and Siobhan as they walked down the street to her apartment.

"What brought that on?" Seth asked as he pulled Tia to the side of the room.

Via walked outside, with a concerned Caitlin right beside her.

"What _brought_ that _on_?" Tia asked, still annoyed. "_She_ brought that on by being a stupid _bitch!_"

"I know Via can be a bit... abrasive, but you can't just _do_ something like that..."

"I just did," she pointed out.

"I know you _did_, I'm saying you _should_n't."

"Why not?"

Seth closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, agitated at the indirection of the conversation. "Know what, maybe you'll be more reasonable in the morning. Maybe we should go."

"Maybe we should," Tia agreed, not wanting to discuss the matter any further. She quickly headed to the door and flung it open, with Seth behind her, hurrying to catch up. She gave Via an icy glare as she headed down the walkway towards the street, but Via didn't even so much as acknowledge her presence.

- - -

"This place sucks," Keely complained, investigating her reddened eye in the mirror. She turned away from it and faced Phil as she leaned back against the sink. "Let's head back."

Phil nodded. "Alright. If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

They headed downstairs and, after a fruitless search for Tia and Seth, headed out the door. Via and Caitlin were standing along the walkway to the house, seemingly engrossed in an amusing conversation.

"I didn't know you smoked, Via," Keely clucked, eyeing the cigarette in her hand.

"I usually don't," Via replied shortly. "You two leaving?"

"Yeah, before I lose an eye or a finger or something."

"Yeah, you got it pretty bad, didn't you?" Via asked, rubbing the ring-mark on her jaw.

Keely missed the point completely. "I guess it could've been worse, but it still stung real bad."

Via raised her eyebrows and looked over at Caitlin, who lowered her head to hide her smile.

"Anyway. You should quit. It's a filthy habit."

"Perhaps so," she reasoned, taking a drag. "But it only takes off the years at the end, and those are rather miserable anyway."

"That's sad, Vee."

"Maybe, but life's rather sad when you think about it."

"It's not too bad," Phil piped up, putting an arm around Keely's waist. Via let out a low sigh.

"You would say that, wouldn't you."

"Well... whatever, Via," Keely said, glancing over at Phil. "We were just leaving.... see you... tomorrow, I guess?"

"I should certainly hope so."

Keely was about to ask what she meant by that, but decided not to, and just slowly headed to the sidewalk with Phil.

"Guess that leaves just you here," Caitlin observed.

"Right..."

"D'you think you'll be headin' back soon?"

Via sighed and flicked her hair out of her eyes. "I honestly don't know. Maybe. Not right now, though." She tossed her cigarette on the concrete and ground it out underneath her heel.

- - -

Keely felt much better by the time she and Phil returned to their room. Phil washed his face in the sink as she sat at the foot of the bed, rubbing her forehead.

"What time do you wanna get up tomorrow?" Phil asked as he brushed his teeth.

Keely glanced over at the clock, and it was only then that she noticed a sleeping form already underneath the blankets. She barely stopped herself from screaming, then tried to calmly reply to Phil's question. "Um... I think around 11:30... or noon maybe..."

"Alright, sounds good."

Keely slipped off one of her shoes and grabbed it in her left hand as she stalked to the side of the bed. She reached for the top of the blankets and threw it back, raising the shoe above her head. "YAHHH oh it's you Tia." She breathed a sigh of relief as Tia looked up at her, shielding her eyes from the light. Phil dashed out of the bathroom to see what the commotion was. "What are you doing in here?" she asked, tossing the shoe aside.

Tia propped herself onto her elbow and rubbed her eyes. "I didn't want to sleep in the same room as _Ow_en..."

"Did he even come back?" Phil asked. Keely gave him an urgent look and shook her head. He quickly grimaced and fell silent.

"It's alright, Tia," Keely gushed. "You can stay here tonight! It'll be like a sleepover!"

Phil bit his lip and repressed a groan.

"Really?" Tia asked, bolting up into a sitting position. Keely nodded eagerly, and the two girls squealed loudly. Phil shook his head and went back into the bathroom to rinse out his mouth.

"Just forget guys for tonight, it's gonna be awesome," Keely went on.

"Can still hear ya, Keel," Phil announced. He shook his head and smirked as he heard them jabbering a mile a minute.

Once he went back into the other room, Keely flew past him into the bathroom and shut the door to get ready for bed. He stood awkwardly beside the closet as Tia glanced around the room.

"Well this is awkward," he finally blurted out.

"Little bit."

He looked around uncomfortably as she stared vacantly ahead. A few minutes later, a bubbly, pyjama-clad Keely ran out of the bathroom and jumped into bed beside Tia. She then paused and looked up at Phil. "Oh... um..."

"You know, the awkwardness would probably go away if _I_ went away," he observed, and turned toward the door.

"Aw, you don't have to leave," Keely half-begged, causing Tia to give her a querulous look.

"You sure about that?" she asked in an undertone. Keely hit her on the shoulder in response.

"You could... sleep on the floor or something?"

Phil stood by the door and ran a hand through his hair as he considered his options.

- - -

It wasn't until about three in the morning that Owen's conscience started getting to him. He got up from the couch he was on and slowly checked on Siobhan and her roommate. They were both asleep. He nodded slowly, then headed to the door and quietly sneaked out.

The sidewalk was illuminated by the streetlamps hanging above him, but there was hardly anyone to be seen roaming the streets at the late hour.

A familiar dog came from a side alley and wagged its tail excitedly, looking up at Owen.

"Come on, ya dumb dog, get outta here..." Owen muttered, kicking lightly at the ground, sending a few pebbles scattering in the dog's direction. The stray looked up at Owen, then backed up slightly, still staring up at him. He headed down the sidewalk and the dog turned around and headed down an alley.

"What am I even gonna say to her... she's probably still up waiting for me to get back..."

His thoughts were interrupted by the not-too distant voices of a few late teenagers.

"Feckin' mutt...."

Owen's head snapped up as he heard a yelping sound, accompanied by scattered laughter. He spun around wildly, and saw three men around his age and size surrounding the shaggy dog that had been following him. "_HEY!_"

The three young men looked up, and the injured and frightened dog quickly took its chance to scamper away.

"Whaya lookin' at, feller?" one of them asked, this one with long, spiked, black hair.

"Big man, huh? Kickin' a damn _dog_?!" Owen shouted through clenched teeth as he took a swing at the black-haired man. He jumped back to avoid the attack, then landed a blow on Owen's jaw. The shortest of the three then landed a punch right on Owen's gut, causing him to double over in pain. He felt a few more blows land on his sides and his back, and tried to stand up, but was instantly clocked in the face once he did. He staggered back and fell to the ground, and the two blokes beating up on him began to kick him in the stomach and in the ribs.

"Come on, let's scram," the third punk piped up, watching his two comrades uninterestedly.

"Aye. 'Sgo."

Owen shut his eyes and bit his lip as the three walked away. He heard scrabbling on the pavement, then felt something wet on his face. He opened his eyes and saw the shaggy gray dog licking at his cheek. He almost laughed as he slowly picked himself up, spitting some blood out of his mouth. He put his hands on his knees and waited for the world to stop spinning.

"Lovely," he muttered as he headed down the street again, the dog close at his heels. He came across a 24-hour mart and went inside. The dog sat by the door and cocked its head as the door shut, causing a bell to ring.

"You alright there, son?" the man behind the counter asked, looking at Owen's battered face with alarm.

"I'm fine," Owen replied.

"Well, first aid supplies are by the wall there," the gray-haired man said, pointing to the far wall. Instead, Owen walked up to one of the refrigerators at the side of the building and grabbed a ham sandwich. "Sure you're gonna be okay?"

Owen nodded and put down a five-note. He grinned and thanked the salesman as he took his change and the sandwich, and headed back outside. The dog stood up and backed up slightly as he exited.

He sat down on a nearby bench and opened the container. He looked down at the dog and tore off a chunk of the sandwich, then set the lid down on the ground, putting the food on top of it. The dog eagerly scarfed down the offering, and Owen laughed as he took a bite.

After sharing the rest of his sandwich with the mutt, he slowly stood up and walked down the sidewalk, wondering what he was going to say when Tia inevitably confronted him. The dog bounded ahead of him and headed down a separate alley. He paused and watched it scamper along the side of a brick building and find shelter in a cardboard box. He sighed sadly and shook his head before slowly walking away.

- - -

"What in the bloody hell happened to you?"

Owen didn't even get a chance to reach his room before running into Via. She was looking at his bloodied nose and bruised jaw with alarmed concern.

"I could ask you the same question," he replied, pointing out the deep red mark on her jaw.

"Oh, right. Let's just say Tia has a rather short fuse when she's drunk," she explained hastily.

"She fought you?"

"She tackled me and beat me rather nicely. It's nothing."

"I wouldn't say that's _noth_ing..."

"She was fed up," Via explained with a shrug. "She acted accordingly."

"You're taking this frighteningly well."

"What did you do to get like that? I'm assuming it wasn't that bird I saw you with."

"Oh, no.... just ran into some street toughs. That's what I get for defending a defenseless animal, I guess."

"Animal...?"

"They were kicking this dog. It doesn't matter."

Via frowned and put a hand to her chest. "I'm... I'm sorry to hear that, I really am..."

"I'll be alright."

"...so what are you going to do?"

"Probably head up to my room and face the music, I guess," he reasoned, scratching the back of his head.

"You do realize of course, that she's not in your room."

"What? Did you check?"

"No."

"Then how do you know?"

She shrugged. "I just do. After the way she reacted to you leaving..."

"I see..."

"You should at least get cleaned up..."

"I guess so..."

The two headed up to the vacant room. Via grabbed a spare cloth from the rack on the wall of the bathroom and ran it under some warm water before wiping off the dried blood under Owen's nose.

"Reckon it's not _that_ bad," she said. "Mostly bruises. Seems like they got your nose rather bad though..."

He put a hand to her cheek and lightly grazed his thumb along her jaw. She tried not to flinch.

He sighed and lowered his hand, then lifted his shirt and inspected himself in the mirror. A few minor bruises were starting to form, but they didn't look as bad as he expected them to be.

Via winced as she looked at the faint bruises and remembered the kick Tia had delivered to her earlier. She turned and lifted her shirt up to her ribs, inspecting the deep purple contusion on her side. Owen sucked his breath in through his teeth.

"_That_ looks bad...." he whispered softly, almost as if his voice could hurt her more. He leaned down and took a closer look, and grimaced. "Yikes..."

"Tell me about it..." she muttered, glancing at him briefly in the mirror before gliding her fingers lightly over the surface of the bruise.

She slowly lowered her shirt and rubbed her forehead. Owen straightened up and looked at the back of her head.

"I'm feeling right buggered," she announced, turning to face the mirror and placing her hands on the linoleum counter.

"Right... yeah, it's pretty late," he noticed. "Should probably get to bed..."

"I'm just going to sleep here, if that's alright with you..."

"Oh... yeah, sure..." He nodded and rubbed his pounding head. The two of them walked into the other room and collapsed into bed, and after a few minutes, passed out.


	12. Ce que j'ai fais, ce soir la

Keely woke up and instantly noticed how warm the room was. Tia was fast asleep, lying on her stomach. She looked on her other side: Phil was on his back, fast asleep, his arm hanging off the side of the bed. She grinned and slowly sat up next to him, careful not to disturb her bedmates too much.

"Wake up, Mr. Differs," she cooed lightly. He didn't stir. She tried again. "Wake up wake up wake uuuuup..."

"...the dancing stones are restless..."

She tilted her head in confusion. "Dancing... what?"

He rolled his head to face her and slowly opened his eyes. "Oh, hey Keel!" he greeted her. "What time is it?" He rubbed his eyes, then glanced over at his arm, dangling over the edge of the bed.

She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand beside Tia. "It is.... 11:49."

He nodded slowly. "Still kind of tired."

"You're always 'still kind of tired' when you wake up," she reminded him.

He rolled onto his side and rested his head on Keely's right thigh. "Oh," he muttered when he saw Tia looking back at him on Keely's other side. "I remember now."

"Please don't do that this early, with me in the room," Tia requested. She blinked a few times and folded her arms underneath herself.

"Tia! You're up!" Keely squealed.

"Thanks to you two..."

Phil slowly threw back the blankets, got out of bed, and sauntered to the bathroom. Tia propped herself onto her hands and knees and arched her back down, leaning back and stretching her arms out in front of her.

"Thanks to us two? It's almost _noon_!"

"Too early," she said in a muffled voice, her face pressed into the mattress.

Phil walked out of the bathroom, brushing his teeth, and saw Keely leaning forward, one hand raised high into the air. She saw him out of the corner of her periphery and shyly slunk back into a sitting position. He gave her a curious look. She shook her head in return.

"So, um... you and Owen..." Keely began awkwardly.

"Me and Owen," Tia muttered, picking her head up and bringing her upper body forward, resting on all fours. "Me....... and _Ow_en."

"Yeah... what are you gonna do about you and Owen?"

"Dunno. He made his choice. I don't know if there's really much I can do about it at this point."

"Tha's righ," Phil garbled, careful not to spill any toothpaste out of his mouth.

"I... okay," Keely mumbled as Phil headed back into the bathroom. He heard a loud clap, followed by a yelp, accompanied by familiar giggling. When he went into the other room, Keely had a large grin plastered on her face, and Tia was sitting on her hands at the foot of the bed, her lips pressed together to try and suppress a smile.

"ANYway," Tia said, throwing a look at Keely over her shoulder. "Like I said... I gave him an ultimatum. He chose to throw it back in my face."

"Well, _yeah_, but..." She groaned in frustration. "This was supposed to be such an awesome trip though! I'd hate for it to be marred by something like _this_..."

Tia shrugged. "You know what? I'm not gonna let it get to me."

"At least talk to him though? I mean maybe it was just a split-second decision that he's really regretting...."

"I'll try. But... if it's not, it's okay, Keely."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Cause I'll be here if it's not..."

"I know, Keely..." She slowly stood up and headed to the door. "I'm just gonna head over there right now..."

"Good luck!" Keely called after her, with some hopelessness in her voice. Her shoulders drooped as the door shut. Phil walked over to the bed and knelt beside her. She was frowning and looking at her feet moving back and forth beneath the blankets.

"Come on, Keel, it'll be alright... Tia... always does what's best for herself. You know that."

She shrugged. "I _guess_ so..."

"And it's better that they approach this right _now_ than just ignoring it and pretending there's no problem, and then turning it into a huge debacle down the road... this trip might have been just what they needed. A change of context to let them see each other better...."

She looked over at him. "That's not what's gonna happen to us, right?"

"Don't even _say_ that..."

"Right..." She nodded as her hands picked at each other nervously in her lap. "Of course not..."

"C'mon. Gimme that smile."

One corner of her mouth curled up slightly.

"I know you want to!"

"Stop it!" she laughed. "You're such a nerd..."

"Just _a_ nerd?"

"No... you're _my_ nerd..." She smiled and looked over at him. He grinned in reply and slowly leaned towards her, closing his eyes.

"....Shower time!" she exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder and bounding out of bed. He slowly opened his eyes and smirked as he watched her bounce to the bathroom and stick her tongue out at him. He laughed.

- - -

By the time Owen woke up, Via was already up and putting her shoes on.

"Oh. You're awake," she observed after hearing him stirring.

He groaned and sat up. "I was really hoping last night was a dream."

"I know what you mean. What are you going to do about Tia?"

"Well..." He scratched his head. "That's a damn good question."

"Waitin' on a damn good answer."

"I... she is not gonna like talking to me, is she?" he asked, hopelessly.

Via slowly nodded. "That's a fair assumption."

He sighed. "She's just so hard-headed sometimes. She drives me up the wall."

"Well... 'When two great forces oppose each other, the victory will go to the one that knows how to yield'..."

"So... you're saying I shouldn't fight it."

"I don't think it's a stretch to say that Tia's diplomatic faculties may be in short supply... but just... just talk to her, Owen."

"Didn't she tell me it was over if I walked out that door?"

"Do you think she would've gone all aggro on me if she meant it?"

"...._Well_..." He scratched the back of his neck as he tried to avoid eye contact with her.

"Oh. Brilliant. Thanks, Owen."

"I mean... I don't know. Maybe you're right."

"She obviously wants this to work between you."

"...so what should I do?"

"Well..." she began delicately, "...that depends on if _you_ want it to work out... and whether you think you two can _make_ it work out..."

"Right..."

"Obviously a solid relationship is built on more than resentment..."

"Yeah... I think I get it..."

"Right. Sorry."

He sighed. "I think you're right... I should end it..."

Via looked down as she smiled softly to herself. "If that's what you think is best..."

He nodded slowly. "Guess it was bound to happen eventually... I just hope I'm doing the right thing."

"You're not..."

"What?!"

"There is no right thing to do... because there is no _wrong_ thing to do."

Owen furrowed his brow as he considered what she said.

"I should be off," she announced as she stood up and headed to the door. "I might even get back to my room before Seth wakes up. At least that would help avoid any awkward conversations."

"Right... well I'll probably see you later today or tonight or something...."

"Mmh...." She paused at the door and looked over her shoulder at him. "Good luck. With Tia and everything."

He was staring fixedly at a particularly plain section of the blankets on the bed. "Yeah, thanks..."

She sighed as she watched his distracted gaze for a second, then shook her head and left the room.

Just as she was about to open the door to her room, a voice from behind her startled her.

"Via!"

She turned around and tensed up slightly upon seeing Tia approaching her.

"Tia."

"Look... about last night..."

"What of it?"

"I'm sorry."

This caught Via off-guard, but she was careful not to let it show. She slowly nodded. "...Okay."

"I was fed up with Owen acting like that, and then you came in, and I reacted... badly. But in my defense, you _can_ be a royal pain in the ass..."

She pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry, is there a point to this?"

"Okay, so, I admit I might have gone too far, but ...you were sort of asking for it..."

"Right."

Tia raised her eyebrows. "That's it? 'Right'?"

"I was pushing your buttons, you reacted accordingly." Via shrugged.

"No, you're not supposed to just... accept it like that..."

"Oh I'm not?"

"No, you--... I don't..." Tia sighed, exasperated.

"I don't see what's so hard about this. I'm not mad about what you did. You should be happy, really."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not holding a grudge?"

"No, why aren't you mad? I beat the crap out of you!"

Via laughed. "Well, I wouldn't go _that _far, I mean—" She cut herself off abruptly when she saw Tia's expression (a mixture of confusion and annoyance) and cleared her throat. "I just don't see any point in harboring a grudge for something like this. You were worked up and I had been badgering you for some time... you snapped. Simple as that."

"I... I guess... Again. Sorry. ...I think."

"Don't worry about it."

Tia nodded and slowly walked away. Via sighed, unlocked the door, and headed into her room.


	13. Ce qu'elle a dit, ce soir la

Via walked into her shared room and flopped herself face-down on the bed. After a few minutes, the bathroom door opened.

"You're back," Seth observed, drying his hair with a towel vigorously.

"I'm back..."

He hanged the towel on a hook on the bathroom door. "Are you alright? I didn't get to ask after Tia dragged me off last night..."

"Why _did_ she drag you off?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

He quickly shifted his focus up to meet her eyes. "I... don't know. I guess because she wanted to vent to somebody..."

"...That makes sense."

"Yeah, probably."

"Did your Irish friend miss you after you left?" she teased.

He laughed. "Ah, well...."

Via raised an eyebrow. "_In_teresting..."

"It's not _that_ interesting."

"You don't think so? You're having more success with the opposite sex than Owen is."

"Uh, thanks?"

"I meant that as a compliment to you, as well as a slight to Owen."

"Oh."

"Do you fancy her?"

He tilted his head. "Well... yeah."

She grinned. "You should tell her."

"Maybe, but why bother? We're just gonna be leaving soon anyway..."

"Perhaps you have a point."

"I mean, imagine you liked someone here - Pickford, I mean - and then you found out you had to move..."

"Easy enough."

"Would you tell him?"

Via sighed and slowly sat up. "You're right.... I haven't even told anyone this. I'm... moving away at the end of summer."

"...you are?" He slowly sat down next to her, looking over as she stared ahead blankly.

She nodded. "You're the first person I've even told."

"Not even Keely?"

"Not yet. I just don't feel like now would be a very opportune time to break the news."

"How long have you known?"

"A couple of months?" She shrugged. "Before graduation, anyway."

"Huh..." He slowly switched his gaze from her face to the wall in front of him. "Wow."

"At the same time, though, I feel bad not telling her. But, between you and me, I think she's got some attachment issues. I think it's got to do with Phil. And not just for the obvious reasons. There's something odd about that boy."

"Honestly, I think if you've put it off this long, you might as well tell her now..."

"Do you?"

"Well, yeah... you really should've told her sooner." A thought struck Seth, and he looked back over at her. "Why are you moving back anyway? You're 18, you don't have to stick with your family if you don't want to..."

"They're.... they're not moving back. I am. For university."

".....oh..."

"I just... I don't belong here, Seth. I never did. The whole time I've been in the States, I've always been That British Girl..."

"You're not, though..."

She shook her head and stood up. "I don't belong here... Nothing personal."

"Are you sure you're making the right choice?"

She sighed as she looked over at him thoughtfully. "I don't know. I'd like to think so."

"But you're not sure."

"Can we ever really be sure of something like that?"

"...No... no, I guess not..."

His shoulders slumped as she disappeared into the bathroom.

- - -

"Tia. Glad you're here," Owen said as she entered the room.

"Owen." She nodded shortly as he looked up at her.

"Look, um... it's become sort of obvious lately that this... isn't going to work out between us."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, watching his face carefully.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Yeah... yeah, it sure looks like it..."

"Mmm... I sort of figured that when you stormed out with that girl last night..."

He shrugged. "Nothing happened between us, if that makes you feel any better..."

She casually slid her hands into her pockets. "You know, it actually kind of does..."

"But, um... that whole thing did kind of tell me that... we're not ready to do something like this together."

She slowly nodded. "Right, yeah... we should probably stop seeing each other..."

"But boy, we had somethin'," he said as he leaned back, grinning. She smiled slyly in return as she leaned against the wall.

"Yeah... yeah, we did... hmmhmm..."

He laid back, folding his hands under his head as he looked up at the ceiling. "Hey, um, it's not gonna be weird for you sharing a room, is it? I mean I'm sure we could switch..."

She frowned as she looked over at him. "No, I don't... I don't think that'll be an issue..."

"Guess we'll see, anyway..."

She bit her lip and tried to silently clear her throat. "I-I'm just, uh, gonna... gonna take a shower really quick," she explained hurriedly before disappearing into the bathroom.

"O-.... okay," he replied to the empty room, right at the same time the bathroom door was hastily shut. Seconds later, the faucet was turned on, and all he heard was the drone of the running water.

* * *

**Tad short, yes. In case you haven't noticed by now, usually when I write a shorter chapter, it means the end is in sight.**


	14. End Transmission

"What are you doing up here?"

Via was sitting on the short wall surrounding the rooftop of the building they were staying in, her right leg resting on the ledge, her left foot planted firmly on the roof. She glanced over as Owen walked slowly over to her.

"...what are _you_ doing up here?" she asked as she ground out her cigarette.

"Keely said you told her you were going up here."

She looked back out towards the horizon. Some of the sky was still lit, even though the sun had set before Owen had even come up. "So why were you looking for me?"

"Just wanted to talk, I guess..."

"About Tia..."

"No," Owen quickly denied. He sighed, then shrugged uselessly. "I mean... yeah..."

"What's bothering you?"

"What's bothering me is that she seemed... bothered by it..."

"Well, you only broke up, what, seven hours ago..."

"But I thought she wanted to stop seeing _me_..."

"Would she have _real_ly given you that ultimatum if that was the case?"

"So you're saying I made the wrong decision."

"No, I'm saying she didn't neces_sar_ily want to break up with you in the first place, that's all."

He bit his lip as he looked over at her, scratching the back of his neck.

"As long as you did what you think is right, then there's nothing else you can do. You can't help the way she feels."

"Then why do I feel bad? I know it wasn't going to work out, so why do I feel like this?"

"...synthetic happiness," she said after a brief silence.

"What's that? Drugs? You're probably talkin' about drugs."

"I'm not talking about _drugs_, Owen. I'm talking about the mind's ability to be content with the situation it's in, rather than yearning for something it wants. There have been studies on it. There's no noticeable difference between happiness in people five years after they win the lottery and five years after they lose the use of their legs."

"Really?"

"Really. Their minds are content with what they have rather than preoccupied with what they want. Synthetic happiness."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You're not at all happy with what you've got. You want to be with someone. You're a bit needy. You're sociable. You have a need to be around people. You don't care much for solitude, do you?"

"Not really, no..."

"The problem with this need for connection you've got is that it can end up pushing you towards a relationship that's not good for you. Or for the girl," she added, as she stood up on the roof and leaned forward on the ledge, resting her elbows on the concrete.

"Oh... that... that doesn't sound good." He slowly walked forward and stood a few feet behind her, unwilling to walk up near the edge of the building, even with the protective rail.

"Well, don't worry, it's not just you. Plenty of people find themselves in situations where they're unhappy. Some of us just try to delude ourselves into thinking it's good for us. Eventually we'll all figure it out... that we're not doing ourselves any favors by fooling ourselves... that we're not meant to be where we are... that we've got to make a change in our lives, even if it means hurting the people we care about."

He didn't say anything in response. He couldn't begin to unpack what he might say in response.

"But. You said you're having second thoughts now that you two are separated. That's to be expected."

"Oh, it is?"

"Yes. 'Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire'..."

"Great passions, huh?"

"I think the notion that we all have to find somebody to love is kind of a foolish one."

"You don't want to fall in love?"

"Didn't say that, I just said that we, as a society, place too much importance on falling in love. I am still a teenage girl: you _do_ realize this, yes?"

"I noticed..." he replied, trying to hide the smirk on his face.

"Some of us are doomed to walk this world alone, I reckon. Or suffer through a lifetime with somebody we don't want to spend a lifetime with, which seems to be the most popular alternative."

"I take it you'd rather live alone."

"If it was that or live with someone I didn't want to be with? I don't see why not..."

A brief gust of wind blew her hair over her shoulder. He piped up after a brief silence. "What would you do if you liked someone that you don't... what if you felt something for someone, and you didn't know why you liked him? Would you tell him?"

She slowly looked over her shoulder at him. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "Given that I'm a girl and you're a bloke, there's different expectations there, though."

"Forget about society and gender differences and all that for a second, just... tell me what you'd do."

She shrugged. "I don't think I'd hide my feelings for him. I might even tell him, if it was bothering me that much. I don't know, though. I can't say for certain."

"Why not?"

"We can never truly know who we are..."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You don't think so?"

"The way we see ourselves is too different from the way other people see us. That's the problem. We only see things the way we see them. We can have fairly good ideas of who we are, but it's hard to say what we'd do in any given situation..." She turned around and stepped towards him.

"Really?"

"Situations dictate who we are, not just personalities. You can never know when you might do something incredibly stupid."

He bit his lip, then leaned in and kissed her. To his surprise, she didn't pull away: that is, until his hand slid onto her bruised side. She gasped sharply as their lips broke apart.

"Oh.... s-sorry," he stuttered, grimacing as she held her hand gingerly to her side.

She shook her head. "Don't bother apologizing."

"Do you mean that in a good way or in a bad way?"

"Do you think you pulled a stupid move when you broke up with Tia?"

"...I guess not."

"Because you didn't want to be in the relationship anymore, yes?"

"Well, yeah."

"You don't want to be tied down, do you? By a relationship?"

"I... It just wasn't working...."

"Why'd you kiss me?"

He looked up at the quickly darkening sky as he searched for an answer. "Just did something incredibly stupid, I guess."

"Is that so..."

"I don't... I don't know!..."

"I'm used to hearing that from boys. It's okay."

"Was there something wrong with doing that? Why are you acting like this? You've always been a little detached, but this seems extreme even for you!"

She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What? Why can't you just tell me?"

"Fine. You want to know?"

"Uh.... yeah," he said, nodding his head.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm moving away."

"Wh... what? When?"

"I thought about a month after we get back. But now it'll probably have to be sooner."

"...why?"

"You're not _that_ thick, are you? You can't _poss_ibly be that thick."

"What?"

She shut her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "It's because of you, you git!"

"Me?!"

"It's very likely that I'll never see you again once I move away. And then you go and–.... Why did you kiss me." Her tone was flat and straightforward.

"Because I _like_ you, okay?"

"There it is, _theeeerrrre _it is. That's ex_act_ly what I figured. So yes, there was something wrong with you doing that, Owen, because nothing can happen between us."

"Well why the hell not?"

"I _just_ told you, Owen... I'm going to be over five thousand miles away from you."

"So?"

"So?!"

"So it'll end. Probably soon. So will every other relationship in the world. Life's just... a chain of moments strung together. That's all. Chains break; you know that. You're the one that's always pointing it out!"

"Very poetic, Owen, but that's not what this is about, and you know it."

"Then what _is_ it about?"

She bit her lip and looked up at him. He furrowed his brow: she looked insecure, almost vulnerable.

She sighed and shook her head. "It's windy up here. I'm going back inside. See you around."

She quickly turned and walked to the door to the stairwell. The sound of it shutting reverberated off the tar surfacing of the roof. He stood there, his hands in his pockets, looking curiously over at where she had disappeared into the building.

He shook his head and slowly headed back inside once the wind started getting to him.


	15. The Kids Are Alright

"It's cute how ya expected me not to know already."

Caitlin smirked as Seth flushed a light shade of red. "It was that obvious?"

"Just a bit... What made ya come 'round?"

He shrugged. "You only live once, I guess."

"Aye... endings are shite, but everything ends eventually. Might as well make the beginnings as good as we can, right?"

He nodded and smiled.

"Funny how it takes us so long to figure that out... I think it's incredible that all this crap in the world goes on, like war and crime and pain... when the truth is that we really need each other. All of us do. _All_ of us. I wouldn't be able to live alone, in a world full o' hate like this... There'd be no point in livin'. But here, we get held back by so much. Fear, uncertainty, doubt, mistrust... even though we need each other. Crazy, yeah?"

"...that is crazy... I never really looked at it like that..."

"There's a theory out there that says we try to distract ourselves from death too much... that hiding it from our awareness and making these medicines to help us live longer are just attempts to distract us from the fact that we'll all die at some point. And it works on a lot of people. But the problem is that we're still unconsciously aware that we'll die, even if we don't consciously acknowledge it. It's that unconscious awareness that causes anxiety and dread that end up turning into things like aggression and hatred."

"I guess that makes sense..."

"Aye. Just a theory, but a fair interesting one."

"Yeah..."

"But anyway." She grinned and looked over at him, the midday sun producing a slight glow in her blonde hair. "Time is short. We shouldn't be spendin' it talkin' about stuff like this. Whaya say?"

"Couldn't agree more," he said, grinning at her.

- - -

Keely softly cleared her throat as she walked alongside Phil on a path in St. Stephen's Green. The sun reflected off small ponds by the side of the narrow paved paths

"So... I know you were thinking I forgot for the whole day, but.... I got you a li'l something. For your bi- ahh, NIRDay," she self-corrected, as she reached into her pocket. He grinned at her as she procured a brilliant silver ring from her pocket. "I know, it's jewelry and not _man_ly and all that, but everything else just seemed contrived, and I didn't want to get you something stupid, so I thought...."

"Ohh, _wow_, Keel..." he gasped, gently taking it in his hands and inspecting it closely. It bore the inscription _grá anois agus go deo_. He butchered the pronunciation as he tried to read it aloud. She giggled and taught him how to say it properly.

"It means 'love now and forever'," she explained.

"I love it," he grinned, and gave her a kiss.

She smiled at him in return before watching her shoes as they ambled along.

"What's up?" he asked, upon seeing her expression.

"Oh, nothing, it's just... This whole Tia drama has got me thinking, Phil..."

"About what?" he asked hesitantly.

"Like... I know they weren't the best couple in the first place, but..."

"You're worried we're gonna grow tired of each other..." he deduced in a resigned tone.

"Y...yeah?" she forced out, after biting her lip over it. "I mean, it's just that we're really different, you and I. I mean, you come from the _future_," she reminded him, dropping her voice. "I just... seeing Owen go after that Siobhan girl just got me thinking...."

"Keel—"

"I mean, I could see why he did; she was really pretty, and from the two sentences I heard her say, she seemed kind of nice, but...

He chuckled. "That's my Keel. Always so quick to judge."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You- you know what I mean...."

"I just... I don't get it."

"It's _Ow_en."

"No, not that..."

"Then what?"

"...why me?"

"Oh, Keel..." he said, sighing and rubbing his chin.

"I mean, I'm not the prettiest girl in the world! I'm not the nicest! I'm _def_initely not the smartest! Why me, Phil? Why would a person like you, who's used to all the sophisticated girls from the future, go after a small-town girl like me?"

"Okay, first off," he said with a slight laugh, "teenage girls have _not_ changed in the future—"

"So there's still... There's still Vias and Taras and Alices in the future though!"

"Okay, I never liked Tara. She is an ice queen. Alice turned me into somebody I wasn't... and Via..." He paused as he thought of a nice way to phrase his thoughts. "Via is not exactly what I'd consider girlfriend material. She's a bit..."

Keely raised her eyebrows, waiting for Phil to finish his sentence.

"It doesn't matter," he said, waving his hand. "Look... I could seriously go on for hours about why I love you, Keel... you know me better than anyone I've ever met, and you're willing to accept me for the things I am, and the things I'm not."

She watched him silently, not wanting to interrupt the flow.

"It just.... it feels right when I'm with you, Keely. That's really the only way to explain it. It feels right to me. _You_ feel right to me."

She sighed and stopped walking, glancing around.

"Is that not good enough?"

She shrugged and opened her mouth, only managing to get out, "I.... I..."

"Okay.... okay," he said, nodding and pacing around in front of her. "Okay. The other night. When we were outside the hotel. Remember that?"

"...Yeah..."

"We were just outside the front door, and as you were talking, our eyes locked. My breathing stopped. And just for that one moment, it was just you and I in the world, and nobody else existed. I could no longer feel the cold, or the wind. Look at me. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel that way about me."

His brown eyes made contact with her watery ones, and a grin broke out across his face. "Phil...." she cooed, smiling at him as she clasped her hands together and pressed them to her left cheek.

"That's why, Keel..."

She nodded and let out a small laugh. "Good enough for me."


	16. Q: Are We Not Men?

"So, uh..." Seth muttered as he picked at the bread on his plate. "You gonna tell the rest of them what's going on?"

"I don't see what that will accomplish," Via stated matter-of-factly.

"Wait, you told him?" Owen asked in an undertone.

"He knows? Why did you tell _him_?"

"Wait, tell me what?"

"Enough," Via said, putting a hand up to silence the two of them.

"You three okay over there?" Tia asked, smirking to herself.

"I think Via has something she'd like to say," Owen snapped back, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, just tell 'em, it'll be easier that way," Seth encouraged.

Via rolled her eyes back and groaned. "Fine. Owen kissed me. Happy now?" She quickly looked back down at her plate and stabbed at her corned beef with her fork.

"...wait, what?"

Keely and Phil looked at each other, then over at Via. Seth frowned in confusion. Tia was the only one that looked genuinely shocked by the news.

"Did she just..." Tia started, turning to Keely. The blonde smirked and nodded. "Huh."

"Oh, that's not what you meant, was it?" Via coyly asked Seth.

"Well, not... really."

"Right. I'm moving back to England at the end of summer."

Keely nearly dropped her glass of lemonade. "Wait, _what_? No! I just got Tia back! You can't leave now!"

"You just 'got me back'? What is that supposed to mean?"

Keely ignored Tia's question. "Why?"

"I've got to make some changes. Certain aspects of my life have become less than desirable recently." She snuck a glance at Owen before glancing down at her lap.

Tia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that this is something I've got to do for myself," she answered after a brief pause. "Look, I don't want to make a big issue of this whole thing, so can we just drop it now? This is what I'm doing and there's not a thing you can do that'll change it."

"Veeeeyuh!" Keely whined. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Right, that's not making a big deal of things..."

"You - you can't leave though!"

Via rolled her eyes. "Actually. I can." She stood up from her chair and started to head out.

"Is something wrong?" Owen asked as she got to her feet.

Via paused and looked down at Owen. "I'm amazed. Your perceptive faculties really are unequalled, Owen."

"...thanks?"

She shook her head and walked out. Keely bit her lip as she watched her friend leave.

"Why are _you_ the only one of my closest friends that _has_n't left?" she asked Phil, exasperatedly.

"'Friends'?" he shot back, smirking.

"Ugh. Shut up. You know what I mean." Keely turned to say something to Tia, but she had already left, after taking a good, long look at Owen.

- - -

The door to Via's room was slightly ajar, so Tia pushed it open and slowly walked in.

"...no, that's right.... yes, at the end of August... I—" Via stuttered as she saw Tia come in. She held a finger up. "Can I call you back? ...Brilliant. Okay, bye."

She disconnected the call and tossed her phone onto the bed.

"Alright, if you're here to hit me for Owen kissing me, let's just get it over with." Via shut her eyes and winced slightly.

Tia raised her eyebrows. "Uh... nnnnno. I mean, it's about that, but, um, I'm not going to hit you."

"Again," Via added.

Tia slumped her shoulders. "Again. Look, um, so how did that happen? With Owen...."

"Oh. Um. Simple, really. He found me on the roof, we talked for a bit, then out of nowhere, he just swoops in and kisses me."

"Should've figured."

"Hmm?" Via looked unnerved.

"No, I mean I should've figured _he_ was the one that instigated it. Ugh, he's such a... a..."

"Sodding idiot?"

Tia let out a short laugh, then nodded.

"Now, see, that's what I've been telling you this whole time. You just didn't listen to me, for some reason."

"Well...." Tia paused as she tried to think of a reasonable way to finish her sentence.

"But, I suppose better late than never. Look, Tia, I'm sure you'll find someone that's right for you, but trust me, that someone is _not_ Owen."

"Right..."

"I mean the boy's clearly..."

"Right," Tia said with more conviction as Via rambled on.

"...as if he could even– Hmm?"

"You're so right! You've always been right!"

Via shrugged and slowly nodded. "You could save yourself a lot of trouble next time if you just remember that from the start."

"How did you get to be so smart?"

"People are... predictable. Especially people like Owen. He likes to take action first and then think about consequences later."

"He's the reason you're moving away, isn't he?" Tia asked, her pinball-like attention span jumping once again.

"I- a bit, I suppose. He told me he likes me, and that's _ob_viously not happening, so—"

"That is so typical of him. From one to the next, it's like he's got no...." She trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Refractory period?" Via offered.

"Brain," Tia finished with a snap of her fingers. "Or... that thing you said. It's funny... ever since I met you, I've felt like we don't have anything in common. Now I know better!"

Via offered a small smirk.

"....too bad you're moving away," she added, putting her right hand on her hip and letting out a small sigh. Via's smile faltered as she looked uncomfortably at the ground.


	17. Because I'm Awesome

"I'm gonna go talk to her," Owen loudly announced to the three others still at the table.

"Who? Which?" Keely asked, looking up at Owen with a slightly paranoid look in her eyes.

"I don't think it matters; it's a terrible idea either way," Phil said.

"Don't screw this up, Owen," Keely warned. She glanced down at her plate for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak again. "In fact, maybe _I _should– Owen?" She glanced around and saw Owen heading for the door. She groaned.

"....well. This is awkward," Phil said, looking around. Across the table, Seth slowly nodded in agreement.

- - -

"Tia! I looked all over for you," Owen explained, shutting the door behind him.

Tia stopped what she was doing to look over at Owen. "You didn't think to check the room I'm staying in _first_?"

"Look, I can tell that you were bothered by what Via said earlier, and I just want to say....."

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to finish his thought.

"I'm sorry. Alright? But I can tell that it bothered you, so that must mean...."

".....what? What did you discover, Sherlock?"

"Well, that you still.... want to be together...?"

Tia smiled and tilted her head back. Owen sighed in relief. "Oh, Owen. So close."

"Wha...?"

"I might have been jealous earlier. But you helped me realize something. After what you did - _twice_ - I don't want someone like that.... I don't need you, Owen."

"...Oh. Wait, really? After your reaction down there?"

"Mm. More like after my conversation with Via."

Owen muttered the Brit's name under his breath in frustration.

"I don't need you!" she repeated, saying it more for her own benefit than anyone else's. "I'm better than that! Wow, you really blew it, Owen, you _real_ly did."

"I mean, I don't really think that's—.... where are you going?"

Tia breezed past him and walked out the room, relishing her newfound freedom with an affected air of superiority.

- - -

"Look, I'm not saying that she didn't have her reasons for—" Keely cut herself off awkwardly as Tia walked back towards them with a grin on her face.

"Oh, hey you two," she said airily, "how was the rest of dinner?"

"Awkward and expensive," Phil quickly interjected. Keely gave him a smack on the shoulder.

"So what... happened up there? You didn't go postal on Via again, did you? I'd like to have her in one piece for the rest of the time she's gonna be here. Or-- with us, that is."

Tia laughed softly and looked down, her hair hanging down in front of her face. "No, we just had a nice conversation," she said, turning back up to look at the two of them.

"Oh! Well that's..... wait, is that good?"

She nodded. "Uh, yeah! Owen's just....." Unable to think of a way to finish that sentence, Tia just wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

Keely frowned, then sighed. "Well, if you think so..."

"....why are you more upset by this than I am?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I just don't like when stuff like this happens. Especially when it happens to my friends!"

"Well, you know what they say, the best of friends make the wwwuhh-huh.....aaaaand I'm going to stop that thought before I make myself sick," Tia muttered, looking at Keely and Phil uncomfortably.

"So... what are you gonna do now? I mean, you have to sleep in the same room as the guy..." Phil pointed out.

Tia tapped her chin. "I think I can persuade Seth to switch rooms with me..."

"How?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something," she finished with a grin as she headed out of the lobby. "I'll see you two around... it's getting kind of late! Don't stay up too late, you two."

Keely gave a small wave and a half-hearted "goodnight" as her friend disappeared. She slowly looked over at Phil and sighed. "Was this how _you_ saw this trip going?"

"You mean, Tia and Owen breaking up? ....yyyeah, actually...."

She pursed her lips.

"She's right, though... you can't get too caught up in her business... we'll be heading back soon. Do you really wanna spend the last couple days of this trip worrying about them?"

She shook her head.

"Exactly. Come on, it's not that late. Let's go out somewhere."

"Where?"

"We'll find something," he promised as he led her out the front doors.


	18. Medicate

"I just – I _nev_er.... _list_ened to you."

"You didn't. You didn't."

"An'... I shoulda... cause you were right...."

"Yeah. Yeah, I was." Via nodded in agreement as best as her position (lying on her back with her head hanging off the edge of the bed) could allow.

Tia shook her head. "I'm– I'm sorry."

Via slowly picked up her head. "What for?"

"I dunno. Everything?"

"You don't have to apologize..." She slowly grunted as she managed to pull herself up to a sitting position.

"No, I do! 'Cause you– you're a ... a good person, Via. You really are. Really. And I..." She sighed. "I'm sorry for being such a–... such a huge bitch to you."

Via reached out and patted Tia's leg, as if to say 'It's okay.' After a brief silence, she looked up and realized Tia was crying. "Oh, no, Tia, please don't..."

"Y-You're such a good friend!" she spluttered. "I'm sorry!"

Via frowned as she watched Tia hide her face, then slowly moved over beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Tia, really... it's okay..."

Tia stayed uncharacteristically silent as Via sat beside her. Via fidgeted slightly from the quiet.

"How'd you get so smart?" Tia asked after a brief pause.

She let out a small laugh. "I don't know, Tia..."

Another pause. Tia looked down at her right shoulder and saw Via's arm still around her. "You're...."

"Hmm?"

"You're actually... trying to make me feel better..."

Via paused for a moment to concentrate her foggy mind on that thought. "I suppose I am..."

"You.... _never_ would have done that before..." she noted with a smile. Via shrugged. "What changed?"

Via looked to her other side and frowned as she considered the question. After a pause, she turned back to Tia and opened her mouth, then shut it again and shook her head.

Tia blinked a few times in confusion and pursed her lips.

"You're alright, Carp," Via said, chuckling as she looked over at her. "Do you really need an explanation?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I guess—" She blinked as a hiccup escaped her throat. "Guess not..."

"That's more like it…"

- - -

Owen rubbed the back of his head as he slapped his passport against his open hand.

"We missed you at the hotel last night, Owen," Tia said. With a smirk in Via's direction, she added, "Well, I dunno if we _missed_ you, but you weren't there."

"Oh, _ha ha_."

"What were you doing?"

"I don't think that's the right question," Via muttered.

"Now what kind of person do you think I am?" Owen asked, going on the defensive.

"I _know_ what kind of person you are. I want to find out if _you_ know what kind of person you are."

"I'm sure it wasn't what you thought it was."

"Oh really. You'd think you'd know yourself better than I do, wouldn't you. Tell me, Owen, what was her name?"

"Wh- I- there—"

"Just as I suspected."

"Who said anything about there being a girl?"

Via pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. "...his?"

"Wh-- no!!"

"Exactly. Just as I thought."

Owen sighed and shook his head. "Un. Believable."

Via smirked to herself before slowly growing aware of a set of eyes resting on her. She looked over at Keely. "Bee in your bonnet?"

"It's just.... I mean after we get back, you're gonna be moving away so soon...."

Via sighed and bit her lip. "Look, I know you're upset about that, but.... I mean, surely you realized that was a possibility when I told you about my family...."

"Well--..." Keely scratched at her nose and shut her eyes. "I mean, yeah, but.... it doesn't make it any easier, Via!"

"It's not like you'll never hear from me again, either..."

Keely opened her mouth, then shrugged and conceded the point.

"I didn't expect you to take this quite so hard, Keely. It's kind of surprising, really..."

"Well I'm sorry if I don't like it when one of my best friends moves away."

"Well, it's almost as if you're taking it harder than– ...mmmnnnnnnnnever mind."

"Well," Tia interjected, "we'll _all_ miss Via though, Keely."

"Just cause I'm moving doesn't mean you have to mope around for the rest of the time I'm going to be in the States. Save that for after I'm gone."

Keely smirked and glanced up at Via. "Yeah.... I guess you're right..."

"Naturally." Via glanced over at a spaced-out-looking Seth. "Is anyone in there?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Just making sure you were still alive. What do you say?"

"Say to.... what?"

Via shrugged. "Anything. Like we were just talking about—"

"Oh, right. Uh... I dunno. I guess just if something won't last doesn't mean it has to suck. You only live once, right?"

Keely slowly nodded as she let the words sink in. "That's pretty profound, actually. I think—"

"I'm hungry," Phil muttered. Keely pursed her lips together as she and the others looked over at him. "What? I am!"

"I could eat," Owen said, scratching his jaw. Seth nodded in agreement.

"But—" Keely protested.

"I'm glad someone else said something," Tia piped up. "I haven't had anything since last night."

"Yeah that café back there smelled quite good," Via mentioned, glancing over her shoulder.

"I was just—"

"Well. We've got some time," Phil said, consulting his watch. "Y'comin', Keely? I think they've got pumpkin scones...."

"I was just-- pumpkin...scones...." Keely trailed off as she forgot what she was talking about. "Yeah..... yeah okay. I'm in!"

"Don't worry, Keely," Via said to her as they made their way to the café. "It'll all be alright."

"Al_right_? Via, have you ever _had_ pumpkin scones?"

Via stared at Keely for a second before laughing to herself. "You're right," she concurred, grinning and nodding. "It'll be brilliant."


End file.
